


I Dream Things That Never Were (And Ask Why Not)

by theoriginalbookthief07



Series: The ChristyVerse [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Loki Redemption (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:01:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26911069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theoriginalbookthief07/pseuds/theoriginalbookthief07
Summary: Second in the ChristyVerse.No one is born a villain; our choices shape our allegiance. This is the story of the redemption of Loki Laufeyson. Because everyone deserves a chance at redemption. Because 'why not.'
Series: The ChristyVerse [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1962061
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to the second installment of the ChristyVerse!
> 
> If you're not sure what that means, go read my other story entitled We Can Be Found. It sets up the background for this universe. If you're too lazy to do that, the basic premise is that all the Avengers live in the Tower and Steve Rogers has adopted a seven-year-old girl named Christy.
> 
> If you have read We Can Be Found, welcome to the sequel! The title comes from a quote by George Bernard Shaw, which reads, "Some men see things as they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things that never were; and ask 'Why not?'" This quote basically sums up the tone of this story.
> 
> This is the story of the redemption of Loki Laufeyson. Not because I'm a Tom Hiddleston fangirl who swoons over his attractiveness, but because I honestly believe everyone has a chance for redemption.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

**I Dream Things That Never Were (And Ask Why Not)**

Prologue

It was the weekend after New Year's and all through Avengers Tower, there suddenly came the crack of lightning and the rumble of thunder.

Steve, Natasha, Clint, and Christy were on the Common Floor. Bruce and Tony, as per usual, were AWOL in the lab.

Christy looked up and frowned at the noise. "Is it gonna storm? I hope not. I hate rain."

The three adults all glanced at each other. Clint looked out the window. "It was sunny a few minutes ago. So either a storm moved in really fast, or else…"

Steve nodded. "Or else."

"Or else _what_?" Christy asked impatiently. She hated being left out of the loop.

"Or else Thor's back." Natasha supplied.

Christy suddenly appeared much more cheerful. "Uncle Thor's here?"

"He earned that 'uncle' bit pretty quick." Clint said. "You haven't even met him yet!"

"I know, and I'll still ask him if I can call him that, but…he seems nice. From the stories and the pictures."

"He _is_ nice." Steve said. "He's also a bit overwhelming at first, so do me a favor and…"

Steve never finished his sentence. All at once, there was a sharp _thud_ on the balcony outside the Floor.

"How does he get here?" Christy asked, slightly in shock. Natasha smiled.

"He flies using his hammer. He winds it up like a baseball bat and…"

"Greetings, friends!" came Thor's loud, boisterous voice as he entered the Tower. "It has been a long time. You are well, I trust?"

"We're fine, Thor. Good to see you again." Steve answered for all of them.

"Jarvis, might wanna tell Tony and Bruce that we've got company." Clint said quietly.

"I will, Agent Barton." the AI replied.

"Stark and Dr. Banner are…working on something, I presume?" Thor asked.

Natasha nodded. "Yeah, they usually hole up in the lab. Tony more than Bruce."

There was a slight sense of awkwardness permeating the room. During the months since the Battle, the five Avengers that remained on earth had more or less grown used to each other. Friendships had formed; bonds formed in battle had been deepened.

Now, there was another person in the mix. None of them had any _problems_ with Thor…but apart from during and directly after the Battle, they hadn't had much contact with him. They were back to square one.

Christy could sense the awkwardness, even if she couldn't determine the source, so she decided to break the ice. "Hi."

Thor glanced over, startled. Upon catching sight of Christy, he knelt down and said, at a much reduced volume, "Hello, little one. And who might you be?"

"I'm Christy. I live here."

"She's my kid, Thor." Steve explained. "I adopted her about five months after New York."

"I see! This is wonderful! And…" Thor trailed off, unsure of how to phrase things. "There has been no…trouble?"

Steve caught the unspoken question. "No, not a bit. Mostly because she actually knows she's adopted, I don't defame her birth family, and I don't compare her to anyone else."

"Ooh, Point Break, that's a burn!" Tony exclaimed, as he and Bruce came out of the elevator.

Thor glared at the billionaire. Bruce nudged Tony's ribs and shot an apologetic glance at the Asgardian.

"Be nice, Stark, we don't need a diplomatic incident." Steve said firmly. He did _not_ , however, rescind his statement, and he could see that Thor noticed that.

In the brief few days that Thor remained on earth after the battle, he had filled the other Avengers in on the back story of him and Loki. Steve had been rather upset to hear of the poor way that Loki's 'adoption' had been handled. Even before he'd ever adopted Christy, he'd had a soft spot for mistreated, lonely kids that stemmed from his own rough childhood.

In his mind, Loki's upbringing didn't excuse his actions, but it did mean that the so-called 'All-Father' had a lot to answer for.

Thor dipped his head slightly. "I see your point, my friend."

"Why would you ever do _any_ of those things, Daddy?" Christy asked, frowning. "They're terrible!"

Thor sighed and explained. "My brother, Loki…he was adopted, you see."

"More like stolen." Bruce muttered. He hadn't been best pleased with the story either. No matter how much Loki had to answer for, nobody deserved _that_.

"Fine, _stolen_ from the realm of Jotenheim after he was abandoned to die. We were in a war with the Frost Giants that live there and there is much… _enmity_ between Asgard and Jotenheim, which continues to this day. We do not…speak of them kindly, and they are viewed as brutal and without much redeeming quality."

"That's racist." Christy said bluntly.

"Christy…" Steve warned.

"Well, it is! To say an entire group of people is bad is wrong. It's just as bad as the Nazis!"

Steve started to shush his daughter, but Thor shook his head. "No, she speaks correctly. You have a wise child, Steven. I wish I had had such intelligence at her age."

Christy looked a bit stunned. "But everybody knows it's mean to do that…right?"

"Unfortunately not." Bruce said quietly.

"At any rate, Loki was not told of his true race for all of our growing up and it was revealed to him at a most inopportune time. I was also…not the most observant brother. I was the warrior, he was the mage. Warriors are held in higher regard among my people than magic-users. Loki spent much of his growing-up in my shadow."

"So…basically your dad failed at adoption." Tony summed up. Thor glowered, but nodded.

"Aye, he made some rather poor choices."

"And guess who pays the price." Natasha said bitterly, gesturing out the window at the city.

"Okay, can we talk about something cheerful, now?" Clint asked. "I mean, not that it's not great discussing how Thor's crazy brother had a terrible childhood and all, but…no seriously, we're changing the subject."

"So, I guess we're having team dinner tonight?" Steve asked swiftly.

There were collective nods all round.

"Shawarma?" Tony asked. Everyone but Christy looked mildly amused.

"Maybe we can actually _enjoy_ it this time." Bruce said.

"Yeah, our resident old man fell asleep." Natasha joked. Steve rolled his eyes.

"I was resting my eyes and I had every right to, Romanoff! It was literally two hours after the battle! We were all knackered."

"Honestly, I'm sorta surprised that place was even still standing." Clint said, getting back his sense of humor.

"What's shawarma?" Christy asked.

"It's meat that gets roasted on a big spit, and then pieces are cut off so you can eat it." Bruce explained. "It's good—we ate it after the battle."

"So…are we going out, or what?" Tony asked.

"Well, Thor did just get in from…wherever." Steve pointed out.

"New Mexico." Thor answered, a slightly loopy smile crossing his face. "I was visiting with my Lady Jane, and Darcy, of course."

"Okay, since Shakespeare in the Park's all whacked from hanging out with his girlfriend, I'll order takeout."

Thor looked as though he were trying to decipher whether Tony had just insulted him or not.

Before an intergalactic incident could erupt, Christy asked, "Can I call you Uncle Thor?"

The deep scowl on Thor's face softened. "Of course you may. This must be so very strange for you."

Christy shrugged. "I'm getting used to strange."

* * *

When dinner was over that night, Christy wanted to show her newest uncle her room, so Steve invited Thor up to their floor for a bit. After Christy was tucked away in bed, conversation began in earnest.

"So what's happened with Loki?" Steve asked. He'd suspected that the Asgardian's sudden appearance had something to do with his wayward brother, but he was also smart enough not to discuss this in front of Clint. The archer was still very much scarred from his experiences.

Thor frowned. "My father has yet to announce his fate officially. He is still deliberating."

"Still? It's been almost eight months!"

"These things take time. It is not a regular thing…a prince turning traitor."

"I still say Odin has things to answer for. And didn't you say Loki fell off a bridge and went missing?"

"Aye, from the Bifrost." Thor sighed. "We presumed him dead; who survives a fall from the Bifrost, after all? Yet perhaps…no, not perhaps. I should have looked for him! I should have jumped after him…"

Steve laid a hand on Thor's bicep. "Trust me; it doesn't help to go down that route. I speak from experience."

"You are correct, my friend. I remember your tale well." Thor glanced at Steve's face and noticed that it was tightened. "If I may…perhaps you should take your own advice."

Steve laughed quietly. "Yeah, probably. I'm working on it. Anyway, my point is, Loki falls off this Bifrost, goes missing, and then, what, a year later shows up leading an alien army? What I wanna know is, what happened during that year to change him from a boy wanting daddy's attention to a megalomaniac hostile?"

Thor nodded. "You make a sound point. But as it stands, Loki is currently imprisoned in a holding cell on Asgard. He has not…been allowed visitors. Not even my mother, whom he would always listen to."

"So he's alone and he lost?" came a small voice. "That doesn't sound good."

Steve sighed. "You're supposed to be asleep. You have school tomorrow."

Christy came into view from behind the couch. "I got thirsty."

"And decided to eavesdrop while you got water. Uh-huh. Get your drink and go back to bed."

Christy nodded and went into the kitchen. "But really, if he's alone and doesn't have anybody…does he have anything to do? Or read?"

"I would not think so." Thor said softly. "At least, not much."

"Then that's really stupid. 'Cause all he has to do is sit there and plot revenge, like in the movies. And then he's never gonna be sorry for what he did."

"I don't know if that would happen anyway, sweetheart." Steve said.

"But it could! Anybody can become good. Nobody has to be a bad guy forever, only if they choose to. Why couldn't Loki choose to be sorry?"

Thor was looking thoughtful. "I wish that what you say would occur. And I also agree that it has little chance of occurring if my brother sits stewing in his cell."

"But what's a fitting punishment, other than imprisonment?" Steve asked rhetorically.

"I know not. But my father will summon me when he is near to making a decision. By then, I may have thought of something."

* * *

It was about three weeks before Thor had to leave. Odin had summoned him back, for Loki's sentencing.

As he prepared to leave, Christy said to him, quietly, "You will talk to your dad…right, Uncle Thor? 'Cause I don't think locking him up and leaving him there is a good idea. And I live on the planet he attacked."

Thor nodded. "I shall, little one. Your logic is sound; my father will surely see reason in what you say."

As the Asgardian said his farewells to the others and took to the skies, Christy couldn't quite shake the feeling that things were about to get even stranger than what she was already accustomed to.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Christy was sitting inside her classroom, feeling more than a little apprehensive. Her dad was late to pick her up.

He was _never_ late, at least, never _this_ late. If he didn't show up soon, she would have to go to after-school care. She chewed her lip and stared aimlessly out the window that faced the road in front of the school, looking for his motorcycle, or one of Uncle Tony's car.

She had reassured Tally's mom that her dad would be here to get her soon. But now she was wishing she'd used Mrs. Jackson's phone to call him. She didn't have her own yet.

Finally, a familiar-looking car wound its way into the parking lot. It was one of Tony's 'borrowable' cars.

As her dad got out of the car, checked her out and walked her back to the car, she started to ask what had taken so long. Steve beat her to the punch as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Sorry I'm late, baby, but we had a…situation back at the Tower."

Christy's heart rate sped up palpably.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, hesitantly.

"It's going to be all right, baby. I'm not going anywhere. Actually, _no one's_ going anywhere. Thor's back."

"Uncle Thor's here? How is that a 'situation'?"

Steve hesitated, and then said, "He's not exactly alone."

"He brought a friend?"

"He brought Loki."

Christy's mouth moved slightly open. "What? But why? How…?"

"I'd better start at the beginning."

* * *

Forty Minutes Earlier

 _"_ No!" Tony cried. "No, no, no, you are not letting that _thing_ in my Tower. What the hell were you thinking?"

"Let me _explain,_ Stark! And Barton, stop staring at me in that manner."

Clint simply kept glaring in Thor's direction. Natasha didn't look too pleased, either. Bruce was taking steadying deep breaths.

And Steve was fighting to keep his emotions in check, while shooting glances at the clock. Of course, this all _would_ have to happen at the time he was supposed to leave to pick up Christy.

"Start at the beginning, Thor." he said wearily. Thor nodded.

"As you know, I returned to Asgard scarcely a week ago, to hear my father's judgement on Loki. The original punishment was to have him confined to the dungeons of Asgard for a thousand years. There were…worse ones suggested, apparently."

"Such as?" Natasha asked coolly.

"Well, one of my father's council members suggested sewing his lips shut. Another suggested confining him in a cave where a serpent with poisonous venom dwells, and tying him so that the venom could drip slowly onto him, killing him over time."

Thor's words had the desired effect. Nobody looked ecstatic to have Loki present, but neither did they wish any of _that_ upon him.

"Okay, I'm not a sadist, I'm glad none of those punishments got approved, but prison for life sounds about right." Tony said. "So _why is he here_ /"

"Because leaving him in the dungeons of Asgard, alone and not allowed visitors, will only strengthen his desire for revenge! It is counterproductive! It solves nothing!"

The room was silent for a moment. Then, Clint heaved a huge sigh.

"Alright. Fine. I'll buy that…almost. But you still haven't explained why the man who invaded my brain is in Avengers Tower. And why hasn't he said anything yet?"

True enough, the subject of conversation stood silently beside Thor, eyes wary and watchful. He had yet to make a sound other than breath.

"His magic is bound and his ability to speak is silenced until I say so." Thor replied.

"When you say his magic is bound…" Bruce questioned.

"He is bound from casting any spell that could be deemed harmful to another."

"So what is his punishment?" Steve asked.

"He is to atone for his crimes against Midgard, on Midgard."

Now it was Clint's turn to say, "No."

"Barton…"

"So what is he supposed to do?!" Clint screamed. "Help little old ladies cross the street and get kittens out of trees? Can he raise the dead? Can he erase the damage? Can he get out of my dreams?! **"**

Natasha gripped her friend's shoulders. "Clint, get a hold of yourself…"

"No! Not until _he_ ," he pointed at Loki, "explains how exactly he plans on atoning!"

Thor sighed. "One other caveat of his magic being bound is that he is forbidden from lying; he will experience extreme pain if he does so. Pain noticeable to others. Loki, you may speak."

Loki blinked once, twice. His lips curled up in a slight smirk. At a glare from Thor, it disappeared.

"Start talking, Reindeer Games." Tony said. "Have we made it clear yet that your _life_ is at stake?"

"I do not need you to make that little fact clear to me, Stark." Loki said bitterly. "My dear brother failed to mention one final thing. If this… _punishment_ is unsuccessful, Thor must execute me himself."

There was dead silence for a brief moment. Steve finally spoke up.

"I don't suppose _you've_ got any atonement ideas."

"My brother is capable of good…" Thor protested.

"Then let him prove it!" Steve said. "I still stand by what I said to you while you were here last time; your father has a lot to answer for in how he treated both of you. But he's got a lot to answer for as well." He turned and faced Loki. "Well?"

"I see no reason to plead my case before those who will not listen to a word I say." Loki replied.

"No, but unless you figure something out, you're dead, _literally_. And by your brother's hand. And call me crazy, but I don't think you're so heartless as to let that happen."

Loki looked mildly annoyed for a moment, as well he should have. For he knew that Steve had basically called his bluff.

"I am not." he said quietly. Turning to face Clint, he said, "I know not how I shall redeem myself, but as I would prefer not to make my brother suffer in agony for the next millennia, I am open to suggestions."

Clint stared in almost shock. Had Loki just…actually sounded _apologetic_? And _sincere_?"

Steve checked the clock once more. It was way past time to pick Christy up from school.

"And at that, I leave you all to figure things out…" he said, edging for the elevator door. "Tony, can I have keys? You can't have a talk worth anything on a motorcycle and I have a lot of explaining to do."

Tony tossed him a set of keys.

"You can't just leave!" Clint protested.

"Clint, I'm late, really late…"

"You've been late before, like, seventy years late…" Tony started to argue, before everyone except Thor and Loki gave him a death glare.

"Shut up, Stark. I'll be back soon."

* * *

As Steve finished the story, Christy started shaking her head in shock. "This is all my fault…"

Steve frowned. That had not been what he was expecting. "Christy, why would you say…"

"Because I'm the one who said that Uncle Thor not let Loki be in jail! Now Uncle Clint's gonna hate me!"

Steve's brain scrabbled for words to stop this before it began.

"Christy, at no time did you ever suggest that Thor bring Loki to earth. You just said that leaving an angry person alone in jail was a bad way to handle things; something I agree with, by the way. Clint will heal; and he's certainly mature enough not to blame you for anything."

Christy looked a little less dazed, but still upset. "So what is he supposed to _do_?"

Steve sighed. "I've got a few ideas. But I think the most important thing is simply showing him the damage he caused; undermining his beliefs about humans, about himself. If his heart doesn't change, nothing else will."

"He sounds like the Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Christy muttered. "His heart's too small."

"I think his heart is big enough; it's just been frozen." Steve countered. "And we're stuck figuring out how to make it thaw."

Christy sighed. "I think you guys are gonna need me for this one." she said, sounding a lot older than her age.

Steve smiled at her grown-up words, but he was still confused. "What do you mean, baby?"

"Well, everybody else doesn't like Loki because he did bad stuff to them. And doesn't like you guys. But he doesn't care about me."

"And you _don't_ hate him?" Steve questioned. "He did destroy half of the city, after all. And try to take over the world."

Christy nodded, remembering the craziness of last spring. "But if he hadn't destroyed half the city, there would be no Avengers." she said quietly. "And then you wouldn't have found me."

Steve, quite literally, had nothing to say to that one.

"He doesn't hate me. I don't really hate him. He needs to figure out that what he did was bad. I don't mind telling him."

What could he say to that? It was pretty much true. Steve sighed. "All right then. I now promote you to head Crazy-Fixer. Have fun, sweetheart."

He meant it a bit as a joke, but Christy just said, solemnly, "I'll do my best."

 _And damned if she won't_ , Steve thought. 

* * *

"There's a kid that lives in this Tower, Steve's kid." Natasha said sharply to the one-time god of mischief. "And if you so much as _breathe_ in her vicinity…" she cracked her knuckles for emphasis.

"I do not harm children." Loki said stiffly. "Besides, surely she will give me a wide berth." That was what most children on Asgard did, after all, as soon as their parents pointed him out as someone to avoid.

"No, she won't." Bruce said. "Knowing her, she'll wanna fix you."

"Is that not the point of my being here? To be fixed?"

"Look, if you do anything to harm her…" Tony started. Loki finally lost it.

"I have not the power to do so! My magic is _bound_ , I cannot perform spells that harm! And I do not harm children directly, at any rate."

"He doesn't." Thor added. "Actually, children usually get along fairly well with Loki. 'Tis their parents that are the problem."

"She's more idealistic and justice obsessed than the good Captain, if you can imagine that." Tony said. "So basically, puny god, she'll yell at you and then hug you."

Bruce smirked at the reminder of the beat-down the Hulk had doled out.

Clint voiced everyone's thoughts, "Well _this_ is all going well."

Natasha rolled her eyes. " _Bozhe moy._ "

Thor shifted restlessly. "I would like to get settled in our quarters before too long…"

Tony gestured to the elevator. "Right this way, Goldilocks. Wipe that smirk off your face, Reindeer Games." he added. Apparently hearing his brother referred to as 'Goldilocks' was the highlight of Loki's week.

The raven-haired Asgardian gave Tony a glare. Tony returned it in kind.

As the trio disappeared into the elevator, Natasha muttered. "I'm taking Christy down to the SHIELD gym this weekend, she needs another sparing lesson."

"You don't actually think he'd harm her, do you?" Bruce questioned.

"This _is_ Loki we're talking about." Clint said. Natasha nodded.

"What he said. Besides," she shrugged. "what could it hurt?"

They were all thinking one thing. This was going to be a very long…however long.

* * *

Loki tried to tell himself that he was a fool to feel disappointment. The reaction he'd received was no more than he deserved.

_You try to set yourself up as ruler of their world, destroy their city, and you expect them to welcome you with open arms? Pathetic, Laufeyson, pathetic. What's worse, you actually would be_ _**pleased** _ _with their acceptance!_

But he had learned long ago that acceptance was not to be his fate. Loki the Liar, Loki the Trickster, Loki the Silver-tongue. The names went on and on. The legends went on even longer.

True, he had brought much of it upon himself. True, he deserved far worse of a punishment than he was receiving.

It still didn't make things sting any less.

_Why did I ever think it was a good idea to attack Midgard in the first place?_

The frightening part was, he couldn't even remember _why_ he'd chosen to invade Midgard. There was a good deal he didn't remember after his fall from the Bifrost.

What he did remember was pain. And not all of it physical.

He played Barton's words over and over in his mind as Stark and Thor's chatter faded to background noise in the elevator.

_Can he raise the dead? Can he erase the damage? Can he get out of my dreams?_

It was currently beyond his magic to raise the dead and although he could suppress nightmares, he was sure that the archer would not take kindly to any more messing about in his mind, no matter how benign.

 _It appears I shall have to begin with fixing damage_ , he thought grimly.

The question was; where would he start?


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just as a reminder, this is a re-post of a story from FF.net--it's already complete over there, so I'll be updating this over the next couple days. Check back for more chapters if you are enjoying this!
> 
> A note on my characterization of Loki: at least in the Avengers, Loki strikes me as the type of person who never really had anyone explain to him why certain actions are wrong, specifically where it concerns the value of others and of himself. In the Avengers, when Thor battles him and asks if Loki thinks himself above humanity, Loki answers, "Well, yes." It's like nobody ever sat him down and explained, "Loki, people deserve to be treated with respect and that includes you." I also feel that because of not understanding why certain things are wrong, he's never really been able to feel remorse because he doesn't see the point.
> 
> That's gonna be changing ;)
> 
> Also, the fairy tale Christy references about a frozen heart is NOT Frozen, but rather the original story The Snow Queen that Frozen was based on. In it, the shard of a cursed mirror pierces a character's heart and he is only able to see the ugly things in life, and thus begins acting meanly. It takes the love of his friend to thaw his heart out. (You might see where I'm going with this...)

Chapter Two

It seemed that 'no' was going to be a very common word in the Tower for the duration of Loki's stay. Especially if Christy was involved.

"You are not going up there!" Clint cried in exasperation.

"Well I have to meet him _sometime_!" Christy shot back. "Why not now?"

"Because he's an evil psychopath who messes with people's minds!"

"No, that's why _you_ can't go up there! Or won't."

"Crystal Elizabeth." Steve said firmly. Christy immediately drooped.

"Sorry, Uncle Clint! Sorry…"

Clint sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's alright, kid. _You're_ right."

They were planning to have a team dinner tonight. It was Steve's idea. The others were grudging participants.

Somebody needed to go and tell Thor and Loki about dinner. Tony had been about to ask Jarvis to do it, but Christy had unexpectedly (or not so unexpectedly) volunteered to do it instead.

Hence the ensuing argument.

Christy looked at Steve. "Daddy? Can I go?"

Steve nodded. Christy got on the elevator. Steve then turned his attention to Clint.

"You can't drag her into this."

Clint looked mildly angry. "Whose side are you on?"

"Right now, my daughter's. If you have to shout, do it in a closet. She may think she's strong enough to see all of our messes; but you and I both know better. She's a kid, and she needs the chance to be one and trust people. Unless Loki does something obviously suspect, I'm not going to keep her away from him."

"Alright…alright. I'll apologize."

"Besides, for the foreseeable future, we're stuck with Loki. And unless we want Thor to have to do the unthinkable, we'd all better start shaping up and dealing with it."

"I wonder if Odin would let me execute him in Thor's place…" Clint muttered.

Steve shut his eyes and gave a deep sigh. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

The elevator pinged open on Thor's and now Loki's floor. Christy stepped out.

"Uncle Thor? It's Christy!"

Thor's blonde head appeared around a door. "Hello, little one! I trust you are well since I last saw you."

Christy gave the Asgardian a hug. "I'm okay. We're having team dinner tonight. You and Loki are invited."

Thor's smile faded a bit. "He's blocked himself in his room; I could force my way in, but I am loath to do so."

"Let me try." Christy tried to put on her 'sparring face.' "I'm not afraid."

Thor gestured toward a door. "Try, then. I wish you luck." At that, he disappeared back into his room.

Christy walked over to the door and knocked.

"Go away, Thor! I have no wish for conversation!" came an annoyed voice from within.

"I'm not Thor." Christy replied, simply. "Can I come in?"

There was silence for a moment. Then, the low, creaking sound of a body shifting on a mattress sounded and footsteps moved towards the door.

The door opened.

Loki would swear up and down later that he did _not_ flinch. Jarvis' monitoring cameras begged to differ. Still with the Avenger's collective warnings in his head, who could blame him?

"The child…" he said, slightly dazed.

"Hello, I'm Christy." 'the child' said.

It was more telling what she did _not_ say. She did not, for instance, say 'I hate you,' 'You attacked my city,' or, 'I'll rip you to shreds.'

This was what made Loki not slam the door in her face.

Instead, he asked, "Why are you here?"

Christy grinned. "I live here. And you're invited to dinner tonight. It's a team dinner."

"I am not an Avenger."

Christy shrugged. "Me neither, though Uncle Nick says it's only a matter of time. Dad always looks mad after he says it. He wants me to be safe. So, you're still invited."

Loki smirked. "So, the 'earth's mightiest heroes' and they send a child to do their dirty work? What, are they all cowering down on their…"

"It's called the Common Floor, but they're not cowering. I volunteered. Uncle Clint didn't want me to come."

"I see…"

"He kinda hates your guts. I don't blame him."

Loki's heart started to sink. The one person here (beyond Thor, Thor didn't count) who he'd hoped might not be baying for his blood…

"And do you? Hate me as well?" he asked. He tried to ignore the pounding of his heart, tried to pretend that the approval of this child meant nothing.

His heart told him to shut up.

Christy looked solemn. "I don't hate you. You did some bad stuff, and you need to figure that out and apologize and make up for it somehow…but that doesn't make you a bad person. It means your heart's frozen. Like the fairy tale. All you see is the bad and ugly things about life, so you act mean."

Loki made a mental note to look up Midgardian tales about frozen hearts using the strange device Stark had given him (a _StarkPad_? Really, the man had no qualms about showcasing his arrogance).

"You are so sure then, that I am not evil?" he questioned.

Christy shrugged. "Well, maybe you are and maybe you're not. That's up to you. But you're invited to dinner, anyway. It's in an hour."

Loki nodded, at last. "I shall be there."

Christy grinned. "Good. 'Cause Uncle Bruce is making dinner and he's the best cook ever! Even better than Dad!"

Loki's brain finally matched the name Bruce with the Avenger he'd had the… dubious pleasure of being smashed by.

"The beast _cooks_?"

Christy's grin slipped off in an instant. "He's not a beast! Don't talk mean about my family!"

Self-preservation instincts kicked in immediately. "I apologize."

Christy stared at him for a moment. "No, you just don't wanna make me mad. You're not really sorry for calling Uncle Bruce a bad name. That's what Dad means; you gotta learn _why_ what you do is wrong." she sighed. "Boy are _we_ in for it."

"Am I still invited to dinner?" Loki asked, almost timidly. He fully expected a 'no'.

"Did I say you weren't?"

"No."

"Then of course! Like I said, it's in an hour. Bye!" she flounced away onto the elevator, leaving Loki stunned, standing in the doorway.

He had done something wrong; he had, as the girl had said, insulted a member of her 'family.' Such an offense on Asgard would have ended in a duel, at the least.

And yet he was still invited to dinner?

Maybe it was possible that he had something to learn from these Midgardians after all.

* * *

Dinner was awkward. There was no other word fit to describe it, sadly.

Bruce had made chicken parmesan. Everyone ate silently; any attempt to start a conversation failed miserably. Even Christy was subdued. And if Clint withdrew any more into himself, he'd be a turtle.

Tony finally broke the silence. "Okay, this is weird—can I just say it? Anyone else getting that vibe?"

"Oh no, I eat with my mortal enemies all the time." Natasha said, with fake casualness.

Ironically, Loki appeared to relax at this. He expected hostility, he could deal with it.

Thor, however, frowned. "My brother is attempting to redeem himself; he is no longer your mortal enemy!"

"Just because he's your brother doesn't mean we have to like him!" Clint shot back.

"Guys, stop…" Steve tried.

"Whose side are you on, anyway, Cap?" Tony cried. "The guy threw me out of my own Tower!"

"I'm on the side of whatever is gonna work out better in the long run, and frankly, I agree with Thor that leaving Loki in a cell, _alone_ , solves nothing."

"I knew you'd side with Blondie! I knew it! It's probably your fault he's here!"

"Stark would you just…"

All of a sudden, Christy shoved back her chair and ran in the direction of the bathroom. Steve was up like a shot to follow her.

The argument halted as quickly as it had begun, eerie silence filling the dining room.

In the bathroom, Christy sat with her head bent over the toilet, gagging up what little she'd eaten of her dinner. Steve held her hair and rubbed circles on her back.

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm so sorry…"

"I couldn't eat…" Christy said, her voice echoing slightly in the toilet. "It was so angry and loud and my heart was going so fast that I couldn't eat and when I tried to eat, I felt sick…and then I threw up."

"Well, I knew that part." Steve said. "How's about we finish dinner upstairs. Just you and me?"

Christy looked up, her eyes bloodshot. "But what about team dinner?"

Steve sighed. "I pushed too hard. It was a bad idea…everybody needs a couple days to get used to this. Including you. Now c'mon, let's wash your mouth out."

They did so, and then went out into the dining area, to get their food.

"Hey…she okay?" Natasha asked hesitantly.

Steve nodded. "She's just a bit tired…and the noise level made it hard for her to eat. Dinner was great, Bruce, we'll finish upstairs."

At that, they got on the elevator.

Nobody knew quite what to say to that.

"Yup, we're pathetic." Bruce finally muttered. "We made the kid throw up."

Natasha scowled, but it looked more guilty than angry. Tony rubbed the back of his neck, the way he did when he was sheepish. Thor's face was troubled. Even Loki looked upset.

Clint heaved a disgusted sigh and faced Loki.

_I can't_ _**believe** _ _I'm about to say this, but…_

"Look. I don't like you; you don't like me. But I'm not gonna have this keep happening. So for Christy's sake, I'm callin' a truce. I'm still…not okay. What you did to me was wrong, and you know it; somewhere in that head of yours, you know it. So it's stupid to keep this up, especially since you're supposed to be redeeming yourself, somehow. So, truce?"

Everyone looked shocked, especially Natasha. But no one looked more shocked than Loki.

"Truce." he said quietly. "And, as you know, I cannot lie."

Clint spread his hands. "Hey, I didn't ask."

Tony cleared his throat. "Uh…ditto for me on that truce thing…I'm not gonna be the one to make Christy cry now or Blondie cry later. And if you want any ideas on atonement…I've kinda been there done that."

Bruce nodded. "I've spent too long perfecting keeping my cool to lose it now. And, uh, if we're making truces, I guess I should apologize for whacking you into the ground. I think Hulk kinda went a little overkill."

"Aw, Bruce…" Tony started to protest. Bruce simply gave him a look.

This was more shocking than the offer of a truce, in Loki's opinion. One would never catch anyone on Asgard apologizing to an enemy for 'going overboard' in battle. He was starting to regret his earlier remark to Christy, and remarks he'd made after being captured briefly by SHIELD.

_Is that what she meant by realizing that I've done wrong? To apologize not because not doing so would cause me trouble but because what I did…hurts another?_

It was a heady thought. All of Loki's life, he'd made apologies to stay out of trouble. He'd learned early on that it was the accepted thing to do. But nothing had ever changed after he'd apologized; people still treated him with distrust.

Was that because he'd never managed to grasp why he was making the apology in the first place?

He felt like a fool.

"In that case, I apologize for any remark I made that…cast aspersions on your humanity. Clearly, I was wrong."

Now it was _Bruce's_ turn to be in shock.

"Uh, it's fine, you weren't the first…"

"And I probably won't be the last. But I was still wrong."

Thor was staring at him with a pleased expression that resembled their mother's when he'd finally performed a difficult spell.

Perhaps this was even more magical than that.

Bruce nodded. "Apology accepted."

It was down to Natasha.

The ex-assassin rolled her eyes in mild disgust. "I don't forgive easily. And you will have to prove yourself. I still don't like you, but I will treat you with all the respect every person is due. For the kid's sake. Not even yours…not yet."

Even that was acceptable, for its honesty. Loki nodded.

"I understand. I…I am actually sorry for the words I spoke to you, on the flying ship. I was wrong. About many things."

Natasha stared at him. Then, slowly, she nodded.

"You can't lie, so I know you mean it. Give me time, I'll accept it."

* * *

Later that night, there was a knock on the door to Steve and Christy's floor. Steve answered it.

He was slightly shocked to find Thor, Tony, Natasha, and Clint outside.

"Is the kid still up?" Natasha asked. "We need to apologize."

Steve nodded. "Christy, c'mere baby!"

Christy came running out of her room. "Dad? What's…oh. Hi."

"Hi yourself." Clint said softly. "We came to apologize for spoiling your dinner."

"It's okay."

"No, it wasn't. We were acting idiotic. Arguing isn't going to solve anything."

"Sorry, kid." Tony added. Thor and Natasha said something to the same effect.

"And, uh, Rogers…sorry for getting into it with you."

"Apology accepted."

It was going to be a long road. But this seemed like a good place to start.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't read We Can Be Found, the two characters Christy talks to in the beginning are her best friends, both introduced in my other story. Tally has known Christy since they were both at the same foster care center, and they both met Sienna at school.

Chapter Three

"So...the guy that destroyed Manhattan is living in your house?" Sienna asked, frowning a bit.

Christy, Tally, and Sienna were all sitting against the playground fence, talking.

"Shh!" Christy hissed. "Not so loud! Remember, it's a secret."

Tally snorted. "Everything about you is a secret. Even who your dad is."

"That's because Dad says it's safer and news people won't bother us."

"So _nobody_ knows you're Captain America's daughter?" Sienna asked. She was still rather new to the secret and regarded Christy's life almost like a fairy tale. Christy, on the other hand, was quick to humanize her 'family' as much as possible with a gold mine of less-than-flattering stories. The only other option was to constantly feel like she was bragging.

"Well, I think they know, at the center, but they didn't say anything. And maybe the principal knows, but I dunno. And important people like SHIELD, they know. But most people? Uh-uh."

"But a _nyway_ ," Tally said. "back to the point. The guy who destroyed the city is in your house…Tower…thing."

"Well, he didn't destroy the _whole_ city by himself. He had an army. That's what those weird alien things were."

"Those were creepy!" Sienna exclaimed. "My big brother found one in an alley after the battle! He took a picture of it on his phone and I drew it."

"You still have that picture?"

"Somewhere in my room…"

"So what's it like?" Tally burst out, unable to hold back anymore.

Christy frowned. "It's…weird. I don't know what he's supposed to be doing. I don't think _he_ knows what he's supposed to be doing. He's supposed to make up for what he did."

"Well, he broke stuff, and the opposite of breaking is fixing…" Tally offered.

"But fixing what? They got most of the stuff cleaned up, from the battle."

"He scared me." Sienna said. "I saw him on the news. He scared a lot of people."

"And the opposite of scaring is…being nice? Protecting?" Tally said, thinking out loud.

"Maybe I could go with him to see some of the kids at the center." Christy said thoughtfully.

Tally shook her head. "You have to fill out papers to come in. They don't just let you inside."

"He could lie…but that's bad. Well…he does have fake ID, though."

Sienna looked upset. "That's bad!"

"Yeah, but Uncle Thor has to have a fake ID, too, because he's from Asgard and he doesn't have a last name."

"Where's Asgard again?"

Christy pointed at the sky. "Up there."

Sienna frowned. "Heaven?"

"Nuh-uh, Heaven's different. Asgard's like another planet, like Star Wars."

"Oh, okay."

"Didn't you say he had magic?" Tally asked. "Can he make sick people better?"

"Uh…I think so. Uncle Thor said he can't cast a spell that would hurt people, but that's not hurting people, that's the opposite…hey! Maybe he can fix cancer, or some other really bad disease!"

"That would be awesome!" Tally said, grabbing Christy's arm.

"But what if he can't do that?" Sienna asked. "What else could he do?"

"Well…I dunno. I've thought and thought. What else do you guys think?"

For the rest of recess, the three girls strategized about ways Loki could make up for halfway destroying the city and scaring the whole world. Several ideas were deemed impractical, but it was fun anyway.

And a few ideas, Christy filed away for that afternoon, to ask Loki about.

Like curing cancer. _Definitely_ curing cancer.

* * *

As it turned out, Christy was correct about Loki not knowing how to really atone. This was quite possibly the strangest punishment he had ever been given. The only one that was anywhere near similar was when he had cut off Sif's hair and been told to make it grow back.

He had tested out his rejuvenation spells on a few plants around the Tower. Happily, they had worked. He then moved on to sneaking out of the Tower and restoring some dying trees in a nearby park. Of course, it was winter, so he couldn't make them bloom, but at least they were healthy.

But it was _people_ he had wronged, not trees. Unfortunately, people were much harder to deal with than plants.

Ever since that… _lovely_ first night, there had been no more enforced team dinners. And, true to all the Avenger's words, there had been very little verbal sniping.

But he was still horribly confused as to how to proceed. The others seemed just as clueless. One didn't just _make up_ for halfway destroying a city, after all.

All he had to go on were the words his mother had hastily whispered to him, right before he had left with Thor.

She had not technically been allowed to see him, but Thor was smarter than Odin and knew that their mother had a good effect on Loki.

Loki hadn't been sure whether to be grateful or annoyed.

_"_ _My son, if you can learn the value of your strengths and the proper way to exercise your talents, you shall succeed."_

It was anyone's guess what _that_ meant.

It therefore was beginning to feel like practical redemption was beyond Loki in this case. And that, quite honestly, frightened him out of his wits. The punishment for failure hung ever-strong over his head.

So when Christy came up to see him that afternoon and complained of a headache, he almost shouted aloud in relief.

Instead, he restrained himself and said, "I can fix that, if you like."

Christy nodded, slowly. "You can do healing magic?"

"I can. If you would allow me, I have to touch your head."

"Oh, okay. Yes, please; make it better."

Loki stretched out his hand and lightly brushed it over Christy's forehead. He could feel his magic, warm and wriggling, seep out of his fingertips.

"It's better!" Christy cried excitedly. "It doesn't hurt anymore! This is better than Tylenol! Thanks Uncle Loki!"

She spun around and threw herself on him in a hug.

Loki just stood quietly and let her calm herself down.

"Uncle?" he said softly.

Christy stopped prancing. "Oh. Yeah. I call everybody in the Avengers 'uncle' or 'aunt.' If you don't want me too…"

"No, no, it does not bother me…" Loki assured her dazedly. "Only…are you quite sure you want to?"

Christy nodded. "I don't see why not. You're Uncle Thor's brother, after all."

Loki could see plenty of reasons why not. But he decided not to comment.

"Oh, I just remembered! Could you fix cancer?"

"What is that?" Loki asked.

"You don't even have cancer on Asgard?! That's awesome!" Christy's face morphed into a thousand-mile-away smile for a moment. Loki grasped her shoulder.

"But what _is_ it, child?"

Christy's smile melted away. "Cancer's a disease. It's when your body stops working right and starts attacking itself. You get really tired and you lose your hair for the treatment, 'cause the treatment's pretty bad, too, but not as bad as cancer. And some people die. Like my mom. She's been dead for almost a year. That's a long time."

Something flashed through Loki like a knife. Guilt? He wasn't sure. All he knew was, he suddenly wished he could take back every griping comment about his adoption.

At least he still _had_ a mother, even if he could not see her.

"I see." he said. "And is there a remedy for this disease?"

"Not really. Chemo kills the bad cells but it kills the good ones, too. There's no cure."

The wheels in Loki's brain started turning. He didn't know if his magic was strong enough, but he had to try. Perhaps this was the atonement that had so long eluded him.

It was certainly the best idea he'd gotten yet.

* * *

Clint came down to the Common Floor to meet Natasha for a sparring session, and found Steve on the couch, reading.

"Hey. Where's Christy?"

Steve jerked his head up. "Thor's floor."

Clint frowned a bit. True, he'd declared a truce, but that didn't mean he had to be happy that Steve's kid ( _the team's_ kid, really) had built up a rapport with Loki. _Somehow_.

"You mean she's with Loki."

Steve sighed. "Are we getting into this? We're not getting into this."

Clint spread his hands wide. "Do you _see_ me getting into anything? I'm not getting into anything. This is me, gonna go spar with Tasha, totally _not_ getting into it."

"Uh-huh. Right. You know, you might just wanna have it out with him at some point. Clear the air."

"Maybe. But I'd have to trust myself not to get angry enough to kill him. And I'm not sure I'm there yet…"

"Daddy, Daddy!" Christy's happy voice came booming out of the elevator as the door opened. "Uncle Loki fixed my headache!"

Clint stared at the ceiling and willed himself not to say anything stupid, or snarky. Or both.

Steve, to his everlasting credit, took things pretty much in stride. "Really? Well, that's great, baby."

Loki got off the elevator behind Christy, much more subdued than the seven-year-old. "I hope I did not overstep my bounds…"

He sounded almost…afraid. Clint snorted.

_He should be. If Christy's involved, Steve can be a holy terror. In a really not-subtle way. Loki's not stupid, whatever else he may be._

Steve shook his head. "It's fine. I know my kid. If anything different happened, she'd have punched you and come running screaming down the elevator."

Christy nodded. "I can punch good. Aunt Tasha taught me how."

Loki shuddered slightly. Clint smirked. "That's two deadly assassins we'll have around, soon enough. At least your face isn't on the punching bag."

"My daughter is not becoming a deadly assassin!" Steve protested. Clint merely stuck out his tongue and disappeared into the sparring gym.

Steve rolled his eyes. "Chrystal Elizabeth Allen Rogers, you are not allowed to become an assassin, understand me?"

"Yes, Daddy." Christy sighed. She padded into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk. "Uncle Loki can maybe cure cancer."

Steve whirled around and shot Loki a look of pure…something. Loki was unclear of the exact emotion. But he got the message _most_ clearly.

_If you gave my daughter any false hope, I_ _**will** _ _strangle you…_

He held up his hands in a placating gesture towards the super soldier. "I know not if I can; my magic may not be strong enough. But I may be able to at least mitigate the effects of some 'incurable' Midgardian diseases. Would that not count as atonement?"

Steve sighed. "It would…look, talk to Bruce, alright? And maybe, I can't believe I'm saying this, _Tony_. They're the science geniuses around here."

Loki nodded. "I shall…later."

"Can I braid your hair?" Christy asked, coming out of the kitchen.

Steve was prepared to tell Christy to leave Loki alone, but the Asgardian merely replied, "If you wish."

Christy nodded excitedly. "Sit down on the couch."

Loki did so, though not before catching a glimpse of the bemused Steve Rogers, who was most definitely _not_ reading his book, even if he was pretending to.

"And what is so amusing, pray tell?" he asked, with just a touch of hauteur.

Steve coughed. "Uh…actually, I don't know how it is on Asgard, but on earth, usually only girls have braided hair. At least in this culture."

Loki shrugged. "It matters not on Asgard. Females generally have more _elaborately_ braided hair, but both genders wear braids of some sort. No doubt you have noticed my brother wears his hair in a half-braid."

"I did, actually." Steve watched as Christy carefully separated Loki's hair into three strands and weaved them together. "That's really good, baby. Who taught you to braid?"

"Mommy used to braid my hair. And me and Tally used to practice on each other. I liked braiding Tally's hair 'cause hers is thicker. Mine won't stay unless it's wet. It's easier braiding someone else's hair, anyway."

* * *

When Thor stepped off of the elevator, this was how he found them. Christy had just put a hair-tie at the end of a neat, tight braid in Loki's hair.

He nodded to Steve, who was glancing over at the duo while attempting to read his book. "What are you reading, my friend?"

Steve held up the book. "It's the first of a trilogy called _The Lord of the Rings._ Apparently, there're movies, too, but everyone got into an argument over whether the books or movies were better. So I'm just gonna read the first book and then watch the movies, for a compromise. You would probably like these, Thor."

Thor glanced at the cover and tried not to shudder at the thought of reading so thick a tome. "I have learned the value of reading, but I love it little for enjoyment."

"And he reads like a snail." Loki added.

"I do not! Just because you take to reading as a duck takes to water does not mean I read slow."

"Yes, you do." Loki smirked. "We had to read the same books as children, for lessons. I would finish and wish to discuss them, but Thor would still be on the first chapter! I often would simply read them aloud with him, just so we could both finish at a decent pace."

Steve laughed. He could actually picture that scene: a tiny, boisterous Thor and a tiny, exasperated Loki.

"So have you almost finished it, Daddy?" Christy asked. "'Cause I wanna see the movies soon! Uncle Tony promised we could have a movie night."

"I'm over halfway through. Remember, Bruce said the first one goes a little slow for reading." Steve said patiently.

"What are they about?" Loki asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

"They're all about a quest to destroy a cursed ring and defeat evil." Steve replied. "The guy who wrote them writes how you two talk."

Loki looked mildly intrigued. "Could I possibly…when you are finished, that is…"

Steve nodded. "You can read it. Although I think there's a way to download books on your _StarkPad_ …Tony did give you one, right?"

"Yes, but…" Loki bit his lip. "It is a rather useful device, but to read books on it…"

"It's not the same." Steve smiled. "I get it. Maybe one of us could take you to the library."

Christy was explaining to Thor about the movie nights. "We have them because Dad missed a lot of movies when he was frozen. Well, that's the _official_ reason, but I think everybody just wants an excuse to watch a movie. For some reason, they can't just say that."

Thor chuckled. Steve rolled his eyes. "Yes, especially Stark. God forbid he actually be seen associating with us just because he _likes_ us." He ruffled Christy's hair. "We'll have movie night soon, baby. Just give me another week."

"Okay." Christy sat down next to Steve and snuggled up to him. "So what's happening?"

As Steve explained what was occurring in the story, Thor shot a glance at his brother. Loki was sitting, head bowed, peeking sideways at the scene before him.

When he lifted his head, the look in his eyes was almost _hungry_.

_Your father has a lot to answer for, in how he treated both of you…_

Thor sighed. He was beginning to agree with Steve. Odin had certainly never sat and explained a book, to either of them. Or helped with training. That was what tutors and trainers were for, after all.

And yet, here sat a hero, the closest thing this country had to royalty, taking good time to simply _be_ with his child.

"I am sorry, brother." he whispered, sitting beside Loki.

Loki shrugged. "It was not your fault."

"I should have spoken up."

"You were a child."

Thor nodded, slowly. "But I am not a child, now. And from now on, I shall never fail to speak for you."

And at that, the shard of ice stuck in Loki's heart began to wrench free a little more.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

 _And everything had really been going so well,_ Loki thought, as he ducked into an alleyway. Christy was pressed up against him, breathing heavy.

"Well _this_ maybe wasn't the best of ideas." he said lightly, fighting to keep his voice calm. "But everything will be alright."

Christy just moaned.

Loki leaned against the filthy brick wall and held back from copying her. He was, as the mortals said, _screwed_.

_Brother,_ **_where are you_ ** _?!_

* * *

It had all started when Fury called a surprise meeting of all the Avengers, for 'undisclosed reasons.' Loki suspected it was to speak about him, but for all he knew, it could be some unknown threat.

Steve had promised to take Christy to the library that morning, since it was Saturday. She tried to hide it, but she was rather put out at the delay.

Loki couldn't really blame her. He understood the love of a good book.

"I could take her, if you'd like." he offered.

Romanoff shot him a glare so hard; he felt the phantom bite of one of her knives. Barton and Stark didn't glare so much as give him looks of pure disbelief. Banner just shook his head incredulously.

Thor looked ready to do battle on his behalf, when Rogers spoke up.

"I might…possibly allow that."

Pandemonium ruled for a solid minute.

"You have gotta be kidding me!" from Stark.

"Cap, have you lost it?" Barton.

"Might not be the best idea…" Banner, trying to be calm.

"Over my dead body!" Romanoff. Of course.

For a while, Steve let everyone work out their emotions. Then, he stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled, _loudly_.

"Hey!"

Everyone stared at him in mild shock.

"Didn't know you had it in you, Cap." Tony muttered.

"Yeah, well, there's a lot you don't know about me, Stark. Look, forgive me if I miss the whole point of him being here, but isn't it to redeem himself by doing _good_?"

"Yes, but letting him take your kid out with no safety precautions is insanity." Natasha argued.

"Who said anything about no safety precautions? I'm not _stupid_."

Natasha muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'could have fooled me.'

"Stark, do you have any trackers that could be attached to someone, discreetly?"

Tony smirked. "You're seriously asking me if I have something technological. How cute. Please, of course I do."

"Fine. And Loki, I assume you have enough magic to…change your appearance or something."

Before their eyes, Loki shifted forms, changing into a brown-eyed blonde with a good deal more obvious muscle. "Is this satisfactory?"

"Uh…yes. Now change back, please!" Steve said, glancing nervously at Loki's change in appearance.

"As you wish." Loki morphed back to his usual appearance.

"And Christy, you're taking the emergency cell phone."

From life and research, Steve knew that some kids Christy's age (and even younger) had cell phones. But Christy was already surrounded by so much technology that buying her an expensive cell phone seemed ridiculously overkill. So they'd compromised: he'd bought her a cheap phone for emergencies and promised to get her a nicer one when she was older.

Christy nodded. "Okay, Dad. Thank you!"

"Good, now go get ready. I need to have a chat with Loki."

"Okay…" Christy went off in the elevator. Steve turned to Loki.

The Asgardian sighed. "'If I allow her to come to harm, I shall suffer grievous bodily injuries.' Does that about cover things?"

"Just one more thing: if anything happens to her, you pay the price. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Good. Glad we understand each other."

* * *

Roughly an hour later, Loki stood with Christy in front of a building entitled 'Public Library.' His disguise was firmly in place and he could feel the rub of the tracker underneath his clothes. Christy tugged at his hand.

"C'mon, let's go!"

She half dragged him into the building. It was _huge_. Loki was sure even the Royal Library on Asgard didn't have as many books.

"Can I go upstairs?" Christy asked. "That's where the kid's books are."

Loki nodded and glanced at a clock on the wall. "Will half an hour be enough?"

Christy frowned.

"Forty-five minutes?"

"That's better."

"As you wish. Stay safe and do not speak to strangers, or else your father will kill me slowly."

Christy grinned. "Dad wouldn't kill you."

"Aye, he _would_. You are far more precious to him than any jewel. It's quite obvious he would do anything for you."

"Oh…okay. I'll be good. Bye 'Uncle Tom!'"

Loki smirked. 'Tom Hiddleston' was the fake name given on his SHIELD issued ID card. Thor had one as well, to avoid raising undue suspicion.

And now, he had a full, glorious forty-five minutes to spend, surrounded by books!

He went from section to section, fully overwhelmed by the sheer _volume_ and diversity of the materials. Particularly interesting was the section labeled 'science fiction and fantasy.' After a bit of searching, he was able to find the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy that Steve had spoken about.

He was browsing the biography section when it happened.

Finally deciding between two books, he stood up to put one back on the shelf. But someone else was there.

"Well, well; Loki Odinson. Or should it be Laufeyson, now?"

Loki whirled about.

"Sif?! What in all the Nine Realms are you _doing here_? And how did you know it was me?"

"I was told you would be here. I have been on Midgard, investigating an occurrence that involved one of our people. And I have come to protect Midgard from your treachery. Besides, I know your voice well, and you mumble under your breath."

Loki sighed. Sif was generally of noble intentions, but she was rather like Thor in terms of hotheadedness. Actually, she was worse.

"Sif, I am bound from working any magic that would harm another, surely you heard the All-Father's sentence…"

"Spare me your wiles…"

"I am also bound from lying…"

"Uncle Loki? I checked my books out."

And there was Christy. Lovely.

Sif gestured angrily at the child. "And what's this? Have you kidnapped a child, then?"

"She belongs to one of the Avengers, their leader." Loki protested, a bit incensed that Sif could think he would ever stoop so low as to kidnap children. "They were busy, so I took her out for the day."

"He didn't kidnap me." Christy said, eyeing Sif suspiciously.

Sif attempted to lay a hand on Christy's shoulder. "Come, little one, surely you have been deceived. I will take you to Thor…"

Christy backed up fast. "Get away, you're scaring me. I'm calling my dad!"

"No need for that." Loki took her hand. "Sif, if you have further questions, I suggest you ask Thor. We're leaving now."

"Not so fast." Sif began a chant, low and driving, a chant that Loki recognized, with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

It was a spell to lift his disguise. It also blocked his ability to teleport over long distances, making an escape.

"Now all shall know who you truly are, Laufeyson." Sif hissed.

Christy's eyes were wide with horror. "Sif? You're one of Uncle Thor's friends, why are you being stupid?!"

It was at that moment that some unfortunate soul happened to walk into the biography section. Loki tried to duck his head, but it was too late.

"Hey, aren't you the…"

"Time to disappear." Loki hissed, grabbing Christy's hand firmly. The spell blocked long distance teleportation, but there was a counter-spell that allowed for short-distance travel. The two teleported to an alley near the library.

Christy leaned against him, breathing scared, shallow breaths. "Change back, change back!" she whimpered.

"I can't—the spell she cast blocks me from changing for a day's time." Loki whispered frantically. "It also blocks me from teleporting over long distances. Now call your father, quickly! I cannot go out of here in this form!"

Hands shaking, Christy dug out the phone and pressed a button.

They waited a long, horrible minute for Steve to pick up.

"Daddy! We need you to come! Some weird lady named Sif showed up and made Uncle Loki's disguise spell go away and he can't change back or go back to the Tower so we're stuck in an alley and I'm _scared…_ okay. Okay, Daddy. Okay. Love you, too. Bye."

She hung up. "He's coming, and he's bringing Uncle Thor."

Loki sighed. _And everything was going so well._

"Well this maybe wasn't the best of ideas." he said lightly. "But everything will be alright."

Christy just moaned. "I hope Dad gets here soon. What's with that Sif lady, anyway?"

"She is a friend of Thor's…she is good and noble, but sometimes…"

"She doesn't _think_?"

"Yes, that. And she…rather doesn't like me. Never has. It might have something to do with the fact that I cut off all her hair when I was younger."

"Well did you _apologize_?"

"I made it grow back…"

"You should apologize. That's not a nice thing to do. But this was just stupid!"

"Yes…I suppose you're right. Leaning against the wall, Loki sighed again.

_Brother, where_ _**are** _ _you?_

* * *

Steve's heart was racing as he hung up with Christy. Of course, something _would_ go wrong. But this didn't actually seem to be _Loki's_ fault.

He strode back into the meeting room. "Thor." he whispered. "Do you know anyone named Sif? Because apparently she just showed up and made Loki's disguise spell disappear."

Thor looked confused and upset. "Why would she do that?"

"I don't know, but my daughter and your brother are currently stranded in an alley."

"Then we must get them!" Thor cried. "Come!"

Steve glanced around the room. Everyone else was staring blankly at Thor and him. "Emergency. Gotta go." was all he had time to say, before Thor pulled him out of the room.

Fury looked annoyed. "Somebody wanna explain what just happened?"

"The kid's involved." Tony said. "No other explanation. And probably Reindeer Games."

Fury rolled his eyes. "Meeting dismissed."

* * *

Mjolnir touched down in the alley where Loki and Christy sat huddled against the dirty brick wall. As soon as she saw Steve, Christy jumped up.

"Daddy! I wanna go home!"

"Come here, baby." Steve said, immediately picking her up. She started sobbing. "Hey, hey, it's alright, it's over. You were so brave. Hey, no tears needed. That's my girl."

He shot a glance at Thor. "I'm takin' her back, on the subway."

"I could send you back by magic…" Loki offered, before realizing that no, he couldn't. That was why he'd needed Thor to come. Annoying spell-how had Sif even learned it in the first place?

"No! No more magic!" Christy howled. Steve nodded.

"I agree. No more magic for us today. See you two back at the Tower."

As Steve walked off, soothing Christy, Thor turned to Loki. "Brother, what happened?"

"I shall tell you what happened!" came a voice that was definitely not Loki's.

"Sif!" Thor cried, as his friend came into the alley. "Explain yourself!"

"He was wandering about, alone, on _Midgard_! The realm he _attacked,_ in case it had slipped your mind."

"He had a tracker and several death threats hanging over his head." Thor protested mildly. "There was no danger."

"No danger?" Sif stared at him like he had lost all his senses. "He tried to kill you! He tried to subjugate this realm!"

"And as I attempted to explain, I am bound from casting spells that harm, and also bound from lying. If I do not succeed in redeeming myself, I am dead. Why would I want to try a _nything_?" Loki said, exasperation permeating his voice.

Sif looked angry. "I still do not…"

"I apologize for cutting off your hair when we were younger."

"What?" Both Thor and Sif now stared at _him_ like he had lost his senses.

"I apologize for what I did to your hair. It was petty and thoughtless, and I never truly realized how hurtful it was before now. So I apologize."

Sif looked at him like he'd grown another head. "Why are you doing this?"

"Because a child has made me re-think a few things."

"You think you can make me believe that _child_ has made you change?"

"Well, Thor changed because of a woman." Loki pointed out sensibly. "Why can't I change because of a child?"

"Because…because you're _Loki_. You always lie!"

"True. But now, I cannot. A puzzle, isn't it?"

Thor sighed grimly. "Sif come back to the Tower and explain yourself. You caused needless confusion and frightened one of the very people you claimed to be trying to protect."

Sif had the good grace to look ashamed. "I was only trying to help…"

"I know. But you should not have done this."

* * *

"So wait, wait; all of a sudden, She-Ra, Princess of Power shows up and blows off Loki's disguise with a spell?" Tony asked.

Christy nodded. "Only, her name's Sif."

"He knows, baby, he's just trying to be stupid." Steve said.

"And then you two teleported out of the library?" Clint asked.

Christy nodded again. "Somebody came in the aisle and recognized Uncle Loki, so we got outta there."

Natasha groaned. "Great. More magic and monsters and nothing we were ever trained for."

A loud thump outside told them that the Asgardians were back.

"My friends!" Thor cried as he, Loki, and Sif stepped in off the balcony. "I fear I must apologize for this most grievous misunderstanding."

Steve completely ignored Thor and marched straight up to Sif. "Ma'am, why on _earth_ did you think it was a good idea to frighten my daughter?"

Sif, trained warrior of Asgard that she was, flinched back. Steve was in what Tony called his 'my name is Steve Rogers, you hurt my daughter, prepare to die' mode. And God help the person he was angry with while in that mode.

"I…believed her to be in danger from Loki." Sif stuttered. "Clearly I was wrong."

"Clearly. Do you think that if there was _any_ , _any_ chance at all for her to be in danger from Loki that I would have let her be with him? He may have done some absolutely _vile_ things in the past, but he has yet to make my child cry, a feat which you accomplished ten minutes after meeting her!"

"I…I…forgive me." Sif pressed her arm, fist clenched, against her chest. "I was in the wrong. I behaved without thinking."

Steve sighed. "Apology accepted, from _me_. Now, apologize to my daughter!"

Christy inched over to her dad. Sif knelt down, looking anguished.

"Please forgive me, little one, I did not mean to frighten you so badly! I did not even know you would be present! You did not deserve to be caught up in that."

"I…I forgive you." Christy said quietly. "You didn't know. But you really can't keep being mad at Uncle Loki, it makes you not think good. And you're supposed to forgive your enemies."

Sif shot Thor a glance as she stood up. If those were the sort of lessons Thor had learned during his banishment, it was no wonder he had been so changed.

Perhaps there was some measure of hope for Loki yet.

"Sif, how did you even learn such a spell in the first place?" Thor asked.

Sif sighed. "I asked your mother to teach it to me, many years ago. Loki was constantly running about in disguise, causing mischief. After that one night he frightened me half to death by appearing as a headless corpse, I wanted to be able to uncover any of his trickery. I have never forgotten the spell and when I knew it was him, I just…all I could see was the past."

Everyone was looking at Loki now. He looked slightly ashamed. "I suppose I was rather unkind to you, and others."

"Yes, you were…but perhaps that may not have to be the case from now on."

Her voice was full of grudging acceptance. And Loki began to hope--a dangerous thing--that her words might really be true.


	6. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the beginning of Loki finally starting to "get it."
> 
> As I was figuring out his character development, I realized that the only way to redeem Loki is to change his way of thinking. And at this point in the story, he's got some very big lies that have a stranglehold on his mind. These lies have to be combated if he's ever going to find redemption.
> 
> Also, for any "medical sounding" dialogue...I'm not a doctor and haven't taken science classes for a bit. Sorry if I don't sound quite correct on anything.

Chapter Five

Ever since the fiasco with Sif, it was decided that Christy was banned from going on any further outings alone with Loki for the time being. Thor protested, insisting that the whole mess was not his brother's fault, but surprisingly, Loki barely pitched a fuss.

 _"_ _I may have been many things in my life,"_ He told Thor later, _"but a fool is not one of them. And part of not being a fool is knowing when to fight and when to let well enough alone."_

Just when things had finally calmed down enough that Loki was starting to get antsy, everything shifted once more.

It started on a rainy Tuesday morning. He was in his room, reading a copy of _The Fellowship of the Ring_. (Steve had taken him back to the library, to get the books he'd left behind the day Sif showed up.)

Suddenly, there came a knock on the door. Thinking it was Thor, he shouted, "Come in!" more than a little annoyed at having his reading interrupted.

But the individual who came in was most definitely _not_ Thor.

"Uh…hi." Bruce Banner stood, framed in the doorway. "Can we…talk, for a second?"

Loki blinked in surprise. "Ah…yes."

"Well, Steve said something about you looking for atonement ideas and maybe wanting to use your magic for more…medicinal purposes?"

Loki nodded, slowly, as that conversation came roaring to the front of his mind. "It seemed a good idea and the only practical one I had thus far. Well, that Christy had."

Bruce smiled. "Ah, the kid. Shoulda figured this came from her corner."

"She asked if I could devise a remedy for…cancer, I believe. I did a bit of research." He gestured to his _StarkPad_. "Apparently there is no cure and only a very risky treatment is the most prominent way of quelling it."

Bruce nodded. "Chemotherapy. But listen, if between your magic and my chemistry, we could come up with something…that would count for atonement, in my book."

Loki frowned. "No one must know it was I."

"No, no; you'd use a pseudonym. So…do you want to come up to the lab and test a few things out? See how far your magic actually goes."

Loki marked his page and stood up. "That sounds satisfactory."

"Uh, okay! C'mon then."

As they rode the elevator up to the lab, Bruce said, "I'm gonna warn you ahead of time, Tony's not going to be thrilled with you being in his lab. It's like…a room filled with his 'children' and future 'children'. I'm not even joking, at all." he added, as Loki smirked. "So please…don't do anything idiotic."

"I give my word; nothing idiotic." Loki replied automatically, though the smirk was still on his face.

Bruce gave him a _look_.

"I cannot lie; remember?" he protested. "When I give my word now, it actually…means something." he trailed off slowly, processing that statement.

"Y'know, you might just wanna leave that spell in place, whenever you go back to Asgard…you _are_ going back to Asgard eventually, yes?"

Loki shrugged. "Eventually, I suppose. When the All-Father declares my punishment a success."

"Right…so, yeah, you might just wanna leave the spell in place, if you really are serious about redemption. It might make people trust you, until you can build up a different reputation."

A different reputation? The scientist's casual words struck at the heart of Loki's secret dreams. Could he ever truly be more than 'Loki, the liar; the outcast'?

Was such a thing possible?

"Reputations are not easily changed on Asgard. We have long memories." he said bitterly.

Bruce shrugged. "So does the US government. Maybe not quite so long, but still, there's a lot of people that would love to have me locked up somewhere, running tests on me." He shuddered. "Thankfully, SHIELD has a long arm of influence, and Tony's is even longer."

As the elevator clicked open on the lab, it was strangely unoccupied.

"Jarvis? Is Tony in here?" Bruce called out.

"Mr. Stark is currently at a business luncheon with Miss Potts. He will not be back for several hours."

Bruce sighed in relief. Truthfully, he hadn't been looking forward to the ensuing argument with Tony over having Loki in the lab.

As far as Loki went, Bruce was pretty much of the same mind as Steve. Since there was no wishing the trickster away, they might as well deal with it and try to set him on a good path, since the alternative would do them no favors in the long run.

But Tony (not to mention Clint and Natasha), despite the declared truce, was still very much wary around Loki. It was justifiable, even logical, but in Bruce's mind, it wouldn't cause Loki to change his behavior—or way of thinking.

You caught more flies with honey than with vinegar, as the old proverb went.

All that to say, he was almost glad that Tony was out for the rest of the day. It stayed any arguments; something he was all too happy to avoid.

"Okay, so Tony's not here…let's see how your magic does at combating some viruses and bacteria."

Loki nodded and followed the scientist over to a lab table with various labeled tubes and petri dishes.

"So, this is a particularly rough strain of the common cold…let's do that for a test run. How does it… _work_ for you, anyway?"

"I merely…stop it." Loki shrugged and contemplated the dish containing the virus molecules.

He could feel his magic swirling, raw and ready, so he reached out and let his hands hover above the dish, concentrating. Under his breath, he whispered a basic counter-spell to combat lower forms of illness. Said spell was why he hadn't been sick with anything as pedantic as a cold in ages.

"Jarvis, monitor this, please." Bruce said quietly.

One moment later, Loki said, "I…believe I'm finished."

"Huh. Okay. Jarvis, are you reading anything?"

"According to my medical scans, the viral infection that would be caused by this strain is effectively neutralized, Dr. Banner."

Bruce's eyes went wide. He grabbed the petri dish and stuck it quickly under the microscope. "I…I don't believe it! They're just…cells! You literally rearranged the molecular structure of the virus back from its mutated state…"

Loki just stared at him, trying to take in his entire scientific gush. "And this is…good?"

"Yes! It's fantastic! What did you _do_?"

Smirking, Loki wriggled his fingers and replied, simply, "Magic."

* * *

Two hours later, they had moved from neutralizing cold viruses to working with strains of worse diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

"I don't have any cancer or AIDS affected cells to work with." Bruce explained. "I'll have to talk with Tony about getting some of those; he's got contacts like crazy. But honestly, I've seen more people die of preventable diseases than ones like cancer. The problem isn't always the cure; sometimes it's lack of ability to _get_ the cure."

Loki frowned. "And why would that be?"

Bruce looked at him with a hard to pin down expression. It was a strange mix of pity, disgust, and disbelief.

"You were a prince, on Asgard, yeah?"

"Yes…"

"I bet, for all the grief you had growing up, you never had to worry about where your next meal was coming from. Or whether you would have a place to sleep that night. Or if a flood would come and wash away all your hard work and possessions."

"I am not naive! I know that others live in much worse conditions than myself!"

"I'm sure you do; up here." Bruce pointed to his brain. "Look, I was in India, before SHIELD recruited me for all this crazy business. Country of 1.2 billion people, squeezed into a triangle of about 10,000 miles. Some of the biggest cities I've ever seen…but there was _so much_ poverty, it was overwhelming. I had so many patients, every day…"

"Then why did you even bother?" Loki asked suddenly. "I mean, it obviously caused you a great deal of stress. Why care at all?"

The strange, mixed look was back on Bruce's face. "Because people _matter_ , Loki. Life has value. It doesn't matter how poor or desperate or sick or…non-muscular you are—you matter. Didn't…didn't anybody ever _tell_ you that?"

Loki looked startled, almost dazed. He was clearly processing something very new.

"No, I guess not, huh?" Bruce muttered. "You don't try to take over a world by force if you think life has value."

Loki's mind was a million miles away, remembering a conversation he'd had with Thor, in the midst of their fight.

_"_ _I mean to rule them!"_

_"_ _You think yourself above them?"_

_"_ _Well…yes."_

_"_ _Then you miss the truth of ruling; brother. A throne would suit you ill."_

Had Thor been _right_? Much of the mess he was in was because he had thought Thor ill-suited for the throne of Asgard, and been convinced he could do a better job.

Would he actually have been just as poor a ruler, if not _worse_ , than Thor had been? Was he just as arrogant and prideful as he had once accused Thor of being?

"Loki? You still here?"

He snapped out of it, at the scientist's worried tone. "My mother…I think she tried to teach me such." he whispered. "But I did not see it practiced, so I saw no point in her lessons."

Bruce scowled. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but from Thor's stories, Asgard seems to be a sort of…survival of the fittest kinda place. As in, if you're not a warrior, you don't make the cut in society."

Loki smirked bitterly. "There is a reason that Valhalla, what you mortals would call heaven, I believe, is a place of constant feasting and battle." He rolled his eyes. "I _can_ fight, but I ever prefer to use words and magic to weapons. Therefore, I was…often on the fringe of things."

He didn't know _why_ he was telling Banner these things, but the man merely nodded.

"Bullying…it comes in all sizes. I got picked on in school for being a nerd—liking science and math. But being a victim doesn't mean you have to lash back. In fact, you _shouldn't_. Even bullies have value."

Loki just shook his head, still mulling over the scientist's earlier words.

_It doesn't matter how poor or desperate or sick or…non-muscular you are—you matter._

Certainly, nobody had ever looked him in the eye and said such a thing before. Or, possibly, they had, but he just hadn't been paying close attention.

Was that why apologies were necessary? And being kind?

Was that why it had stung so badly when he'd been rejected by Thor's friends (see, there it was, _Thor's_ friends. He'd not had any of his own.)

"I…have value?" he said slowly.

Bruce felt as though he'd been sucker-punched in the gut.

_Does he seriously not know…where's Thor in all this? How do you go your entire life and not realize…?_

"And…so do others. It matters not their strength." Loki turned to Bruce. "Do I…understand you correctly?"

"Perfectly correctly." Bruce said, firmly. "Look, let's not sugar-coat things. You've committed enough crimes to deserve being locked up for eternity. But you're still a _person_. You still _matter_. And so do other people. That's why we don't _do_ things like try to take over the world, or…cut off someone's hair."

Loki looked serious at the mention of his crimes. "Dr. Banner, when you…shift forms, you create great damage. Do you regret it?"

"Every time. Every time, I shift back and it's the same scene—people screaming, police surrounding me, buildings broken to the ground, gaping holes in the street…" he trailed off. "I'm a doctor. I'm supposed to fix people, not break them. So that's what I do. I can't change the past. But what I do today, I can control. So I fix things, fix people. Do research."

"I…I cannot change what I did."

"No, you can't. But you can change how you act now."

Loki looked pensive. "About…value, what if others don't respect you?"

"You treat them with respect anyway. That show's that you're the better person. Plus, like I said, even bullies have value. You did plenty of things wrong because you didn't understand value. Look…did nobody seriously explain this to you? Or did you just not listen?"

"Both, I believe. But it was never put so…bluntly."

Bruce snorted. "Sometimes, bluntness is needed."

There was still one thing more that needed to be cleared up. "But…I am a Frost Giant."

"Still a person. Is…is that what kicked this whole thing off? Finding out you were adopted?"

"Odin told me he kept the secret so that I would not feel different. But I always knew there was something… _off_ about me."

Bruce sighed. "Look, I don't know anything about Frost Giants, but as I see it, you're standing here, holding an intelligent conversation and are capable of emotion. You're no monster, Loki. I don't care what anyone else said, not even you to yourself. You are not a monster."

It was almost too good to be true. The weight that Loki had born since that fateful day…did he truly not have to carry it?

There was one final test. The ultimate barometer to see if all of the scientist's fancy words were what he truly believed. Voice shaking, Loki replied.

"This is my true form."

He smashed his eyes shut, felt his Asgardian form melt away, and waited for the pandemonium.

It never came.

There was no gasp of horror, no shriek of terror, no scream of fear. There was merely a quiet voice, saying:

"Interesting. Very…blue. You know, you might show this to Christy sometime, blue's her favorite color."

Slowly, slowly, Loki opened his eyes. The look on Banner's face was perfectly serious.

"My eyes are red." he said, rather inanely.

Bruce shrugged. "I turn green when I'm mad."

Translation: _I couldn't care less._

"You…truly don't think I'm a monster?"

"Behavior makes a monster, not appearance, and definitely not race."

"I…still have value?"

"You could paint yourself flaming orange and grow horns; and you would still be a person, who has value. Nothing changes that."

Loki just stood still, shaking his head.

"Hey, you need a break or something? We've been at this for a while…you could probably use some food. And, we've established that your magic makes for great remedies. I can have Jarvis analyze what he can of your magic and we can figure out how to make it into something tangible. Possibly."

Loki nodded, after a moment. He was still rather dazed.

Bruce started steering him towards the elevator. "I'm getting you food. And rounding up anyone else still hanging around. Let's find your brother first."

His body may have been craving food, but Loki felt as though another ache, one that had long been empty, was finally starting to fill.

He had much to think about.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"We could always just stick him in a closet and put Mjolnir in front of it!" Clint said, gesturing wildly at the subject of contention.

"We are not sticking Loki in a closet, Clint." Steve said tiredly.

"But it would solve everything! It's not like he would suffocate…" Steve was not looking any more appreciative of the idea. "Alright, alright. Jeez, tough crowd."

Steve had known that the next home visit by Christy's social worker was coming up soon. They'd already had a visit a month ago and were due for another.

He just hadn't bargained on having the god of lies and mischief hanging about the next time Mrs. Darrow paid them a visit.

There had been no incidents, mostly because Loki and Christy actually got along rather well. But everybody, including Christy, knew it probably wouldn't be best to let slip that the man who had wreaked havoc on Manhattan was living in their Tower.

"My brother will stay with me and go nowhere near your floor until the inspection is complete, Steven." Thor promised, shooting Loki a significant glance.

Loki sighed in exasperation. "Why do you all insist on talking as though I am either not present or a child?"

"Because none of us exactly trust you." Tony said bluntly, ignoring Steve and Bruce's collective glares. "What, it's true?"

"When are you idiots going to get it in your thick, collective skulls that I _cannot lie?"_

"Sorry." Natasha said coolly. "Force of habit."

Steve cut off the ensuing argument before it could really get underway. "Look, this is all ridiculous, because you're not going to do anything, _are_ you, Loki? You like Christy. And if my 'house' is deemed unfit, they will drag her away, sobbing and screaming…" And darn it if Steve didn't start to choke up just at the thought of that!

Loki snorted. "As if they would deem one of their national heroes an unfit guardian."

"I have to go by the rules as much as anybody else, Loki. I don't get a free pass just because I'm Captain America."

Loki looked a bit startled to hear that, and even Thor seemed somewhat nonplussed. Steve decided to refrain from explaining how the law was the great equalizer that everyone across society had to obey, or else society broke down. (And _that_ was a whole other tangent he could get off on…).

But he would spare the Asgardians, not to mention his team, a lecture on _truth, justice and the American Way—_ for now.

"So, is anybody actually going to be around on Sunday?" he questioned.

"Lab. Obviously." Tony said. "Covertly spying on you to make sure nothing goes horribly wrong."

Bruce nodded. "In the lab or on my floor. _Maybe_ on the Common Floor."

Steve nodded, and then rolled his eyes at Tony. "Nothing will go wrong; I actually like Christy's social worker. She's a very sensible lady and cares a lot about Christy. She's also married." he added, as Natasha gave him a certain _look_.

The redhead shrugged. "Hey, worth a shot. I'll be out, anyway. I leave on a mission in another couple days."

"Me, too." Clint echoed. "I'm on leave, so I'm gonna just take off for a bit."

"To where, Birdman?" Tony asked, smirking. "Got a secret girlfriend somewhere?"

" _None_ of your business, Stark. And for the record, no."

"Well, looks like a pretty low crowd for the weekend, then." Steve said, trying to sound cheerful. In reality, he was a bit upset. It would have been nice to have Clint's enthusiasm and Natasha's reassurance this weekend. These visits always seemed to bring out his worst insecurities.

Natasha, as though reading his thoughts, clapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. Like you said, you know the lady, she's great. What could possibly go wrong?"

If Christy had been there, she probably would have said that was a bad thing to say. But she was at school, so Steve merely nodded.

"You're right. What could possibly go wrong?"

* * *

Three nights later, Steve woke up to the feel of a small body crawling next to him in bed.

"Christy? What's wrong?" he muttered groggily. For once, he'd been having a fairly decent night's sleep.

"Daddy, can I sleep with you tonight?"

Steve sighed and rolled over. "Sure, baby. Did you have a bad dream?"

Christy buried her face in his chest and nodded.

"Was it about your mom?"

"Nuh-uh. It was about Sunday."

"Sunday? What happens…oh." Steve hugged his daughter close. "Baby, you don't need to worry about Sunday. Everything's gonna be fine. You know Mrs. Darrow."

"But what if…?"

"Hey, hey, remember what I said about 'if's'. They usually don't happen. They're the mix of all our worst fears."

"But sometimes 'if's' do happen." Christy said stubbornly.

She had a point. But now was not the time to discuss it. "I know, but right now, we're going to sleep, alright?"

Christy snuggled against him. "Lullaby?"

Steve smiled. "Always."

* * *

Everything was going wrong. And it had all started the minute Steve opened the door to find a short, thin woman with sharp glasses and an intimidating expression on her face.

He somehow managed to recover himself. "Excuse me, ma'am; and you would be…?"

The woman tried to draw herself up to match his considerable height. The effect was dubious. "I am Miss Pratt. Mrs. Darrow is out sick and was unable to come today, so the Agency asked me to come in her place. Shall we begin, Mr.…Rogers, was it?"

"Yes, ma'am." Steve said, fighting to keep his voice steady and _not_ burst out laughing. Miss _Pratt_ , indeed!

_It's strange she's still a Miss…with a last name like Pratt; you'd think she'd want to get married as soon as possible._

He took a deep breath.

_Easy, Rogers. You're in Italy again, holding back laughter at the cheesy dialogue and bad lyrics in those god-awful USO shows…just don't lose it…_

"Would you like my daughter to be present?" he asked, inwardly pleased at how normal he sounded.

"She is actually not _officially_ your daughter for two more months; and yes, I would like her to be present."

Steve bit back a dozen sarcastic replies. "Hey, Christy? Come out, baby!"

Christy came bounding out of her room, holding Natka. "Hi, Mrs. Olivia…" and stopped abruptly next to Steve. "You're not Mrs. Darrow."

"No, I am Miss Pratt. As I explained to your guardian, Mrs. Darrow is out sick today."

Christy looked horrified. And then angry. "He's my dad."

"In two months, that shall be official, but right now, he is your legal guardian. Now, shall we begin with the inspection?"

Steve nodded tightly as he felt Christy's hand slip into his.

This was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

* * *

By the time Miss Pratt was ready to inspect the Common Floor, Steve had unconsciously slipped into what he and Clint jokingly called "boot camp behavior"—which basically involved speaking only when spoken to, ending every sentence with 'sir' or 'ma'am', and shutting up the rest of the time.

She had found something 'wrong' with _every room_ on his floor, even things Mrs. Darrow had either said were perfectly fine, or else she'd never even mentioned. She'd even criticized the one pack of beer in his fridge! One pack! Thank God he'd convinced Tony to put locks on his liquor cabinet on the Common Floor.

Christy had taken to glaring at the woman subtly, and her enthusiasm level had plummeted to the depths. Steve had a sinking feeling that there would be a new face in Christy's punching bag ensemble before the next week was over.

"Now, Chrystal, I understand from your file that you had regular nightmares while in foster care. Have they improved since being here or grown worse?"

"Uh…gotten better."

"You're sure?" the woman asked, peering at Christy through her spiky spectacles.

"Yes, ma'am." Christy said, the faintest bit of testiness creeping into her voice.

"Have you had one recently?"

Christy gulped and looked up at Steve. He nodded encouragingly.

"Do not prompt the child, Mr. Rogers. Now, Chrystal, have you had a nightmare recently?"

Steve clenched his teeth to keep from glowering. Christy nodded. "On Thursday night, 'cause I was scared about today."

"And why were you frightened?"

Christy grabbed Steve's arm. "'Cause I don't wanna leave my daddy!"

That actually managed to shut Miss Pratt up, until they reached the Common Floor.

But when they reached the Common Floor, Steve felt like crawling under a rock and dragging Christy with him.

Thor and _Loki_ stood in the kitchen, apparently making a snack. At least, _Thor_ was making a snack.

"Loki, you must eat something…!"

"I told you, brother, I am not hungry!"

"A-hem!" Miss Pratt cleared her throat loudly, and the brothers spun around.

Loki quickly took stock of the situation. Judging from the amount of palpable fear on Steve's (not to mention Christy's) face, he judged that this woman could not possibly be the inspector that Steve had spoken of so highly. Something must have gone wrong. Thor was useless in these types of high-pressure situations…

By the Norns, it felt like that incident with the giants all over again!

Only this time, he couldn't lie.

He swallowed. _Well, I guess it's all up to me…again._

Smiling in a way that had often made maidens swoon, despite his reputation, Loki turned to the woman. "And you must be the social worker Steve spoke about. So sorry to be in your way, we'll let you carry on with your inspection."

Steve and Thor were staring at him in a manner that screamed _what are you doing?_ Even Christy looked a bit frightened.

But the woman…actually seemed taken in by the act. At least, she wasn't saying that he looked like the man that attacked Manhattan. And she was gazing at him with an expression like…mild rapture?

 _Oy_ …

"Well, I'm…only the replacement for the day, but yes, I am here on inspection, Mr…."

"Mr. Hiddleston. But you may call me Tom. My brother, Chris, works with Steve and we were over for the day. We'll get out of your hair now…"

It wasn't a lie. Chris Hemsworth was Thor's fake name, on his SHIELD ID. And he certainly worked with Steve.

"Oh, no, there's…really no need for that. I can finish the inspection with you and your brother present."

"How kind of you." Loki said. He felt the anti-lying magic in his veins pulse a bit, as a warning, he supposed. Apparently flattery was a bit too close to lying for the spell's comfort.

As the woman poked around the floor with her checklist, Thor inched over to Steve. "I am so sorry." he said, in a passable imitation of a whisper. "I did not realize…"

"Ordinarily, it might have been fine." Steve said lowly. "But, well…"

Thor nodded. "Are you well?"

"When this is over, I will be."

There were no major hitches as Miss Pratt pecked her way through the Common Floor like a now-slightly-less disgruntled hen. There was a small argument over the various alcoholic beverages at the bar, but she seemed pacified by the locks.

But the worst was yet to come.

"Mr. Rogers! Why is there a room with instruments of torture in it?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Steve almost burst out laughing as he went over to the sparring gym. "Well, ma'am, there are other people who live here besides me and Christy. And they work for a government organization that requires it's employees to be…proficient in a range of skills."

"I see. And is this the best environment for a child?"

Steve gulped. "She is never allowed in there without me at least being on this floor and she knows the rules of etiquette…"

"You _allow_ a _child_ to fight?" Miss Pratt began to scribble hastily on her notepad.

"Now, Miss Pratt…" Loki cut in smoothly. "Mr. Rogers has already stated that he has taken necessary precautions to ensure the child's safety. There has been no trouble before now, and I see no reason why any should be started now."

"Well…perhaps you're right…"

"I'm sure that I am." Loki said, putting all the persuasiveness he could muster into his voice.

The woman sighed. "Well, I suppose if Mrs. Darrow has not found any fault in things before now, I won't either. At any rate, Chrystal seems to be very comfortable and secure with you, Mr. Rogers. That should complete my inspection."

As Miss Pratt prepared to leave, she scribbled something hastily onto a scrap of paper and offered it to Loki. "Mr. Hiddleston…if you ever find yourself alone one night…"

Loki gave a little half-bow and took the paper, but very pointedly said nothing. He did not trust himself.

The door shut. There was silence for a good five seconds.

Then, Christy burst into tears.

"I hate her! She's mean! And she said you weren't my daddy! Why couldn't Mrs. Olivia come?"

Steve sighed; relief and anger and weariness all seeping through him. "I'm…sure she was just trying to be professional, baby."

Loki, meanwhile, looked at the scrap of paper in his hand. On it was scrawled a number and the phrase ' _call me'_ "

With very deliberate movements, Loki walked over to the sink, tossed the paper in it, and flicked the switch for the garbage disposal.

"Well," Thor said slowly. "I suppose that could have gone worse."

* * *

"So, anyway, I called Mrs. Darrow later. From the tone of her voice, she knew exactly who I was talking about and promised to straighten things out tomorrow. She's almost over her cold and should be back at work."

Everyone, minus Clint and Natasha, was gathered on the Common Floor that night, to hear the nerve-wracking tale of the day.

"I oughta ruin her…" Tony muttered. Pepper put a cautionary hand on his arm.

"Tony, we don't just ruin people we don't like. Not even if they deserve it…ugh! That odious woman makes me want to smack someone."

"Well, uh, if it could not be me; that would be great, thanks." Tony said.

Everyone rolled their eyes or groaned.

"Well, Loki…actually saved the day." Bruce said.

"Did I thank you enough?" Steve said, completely serious.

"Yes, you did." Loki said, just as serious, before smirking. "Several times. You also hugged me. Several times."

"'Cause Miss Pratt _liked_ him." Christy said, making a disgusted face. "Gross!"

"Did she actually give you her number?" Steve asked. Loki nodded.

"Wait, the she-hag with a stick up her… _butt_ , actually _liked_ you?" Tony cried. "That's it; I'm done."

Loki smirked. "Because you cannot stand the thought of females being attracted to someone besides yourself?"

"I am not sure if that woman being attracted to you should count as a positive thing, brother." Thor said doubtfully.

"No, of course it isn't. Hence why I obliterated her phone number from existence."

"You did _what?"_ Pepper asked suspiciously.

"He threw it in the garbage disposal." Christy explained.

Tony cracked up. "Okay; I get that this was pins and needles when it was actually happening, but this…this is actually turning out to be pretty hilarious. It would make a great comedy."

Steve sighed, as Christy laid her head on his lap. "Yeah…great comedy. With an appropriately happy ending. Thank God."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the residents of the Tower, a certain conversation was taking place.

"Well, Heimdall, it seems that these mortal social workers could rival even me at my most terrifying."

"Indeed, sire…"

Odin sighed. "Well, exile seems to be working for Loki. He's learning his lesson…but more than that, his mind is changing. He may be ready to return, sooner than I thought."

"It is quite possible, sire. Will you speak with him, when he returns?"

"I shall. We have…much to speak about. We both wounded each other. But, at any rate, it may be time soon for the Test we spoke of."

Heimdall merely nodded, a mysterious smile playing across his lips.

Yes, perhaps Midgard could redeem one son of Odin just as well as it had the other.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"He's in my lab…" Tony said; a not-so-subtle tinge of disgust in his tone. "I still can't believe he's in my lab…"

Christy sighed, following her uncle's gaze to where Loki stood with Bruce, hashing out some quasi-magical, quasi-scientific cure for something.

_Distraction, distraction; that's my name…_

She grabbed his arm and tapped her homework sheet with her other hand. "Uncle Tony, you gotta help me with this! You're my only hope!"

Tony snorted. "You can do it on your own. Besides, this is the last problem. Just add the 50 to the 130 and you're done."

Rolling her eyes, Christy did so; in her head, no less. Tony's lessons were paying off. "Uncle Tony, can we have a movie marathon this weekend?"

Still haphazardly glaring at Loki, Tony muttered. "Yeah, yeah, sure; whatever you want, kid."

It was clear that he was not paying attention. Christy sighed again.

"Uncle Tony, can I take your private jet to Las Vegas?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure…wait, _what_?!"

"Well, you weren't listening!" Christy cried, throwing up her hands in exasperation.

"I'm listening _now_!" Tony huffed.

"So can we watch _Lord of the Rings_ this weekend or not? Dad finished the first book and I think Uncle Thor would really like it!"

She also thought Loki would enjoy the movies as well, but she was smart enough not to mention him.

Tony frowned, thinking. "Eh…why not? Are Robin Hood and Little Orphan Annie in this weekend?"

"Yeah. And you know Aunt Tasha would kill you if she heard you call her that."

"Hey, what happens in the lab _stays_ in the lab."

From where he stood across the lab, Bruce smiled and felt profoundly grateful that Christy had decided to do her homework in the lab most afternoons. At least, as long as it was math homework, which was usually all she _did_ have. Christy had a rather clever knack for finishing most of her homework at school

"Bruce! We're having a movie marathon this weekend! You're invited." Tony half-yelled across the room.

"I heard you, Tony, I'm not deaf." Bruce said calmly.

There was a small pause. Then, Loki said quietly, "Am I…uninvited, then?"

The pause grew more awkward.

And then, suddenly, _Vader's March_ from Star Wars began to play.

The three men stared at Christy, who shook her head vigorously. "Don't look at me!"

Tony groaned. "J, are you kidding me?"

"I was merely trying to lighten the mood, Sir." said the AI coolly.

Christy giggled. That seemed to break the spell and calm things down. Tony sighed.

"Alright, _alright_ ; you can come, too, Reindeer Games. But you put one foot out of line and so help me, I'll…"

"Why do you call me that?"

Tony looked startled. Loki rarely ever addressed him directly. "Huh?"

"Most of your nicknames are simple enough to deduce, but I do not understand why you insist on calling me 'Reindeer Games'."

"It's your helmet." Bruce explained. "It looks like…ah, Jarvis? Little help here?"

Jarvis pulled up a screen showing images of reindeer.

"Thanks. Anyway, that's a reindeer. Your helmet looks like their horns. A bit."

Loki nodded slowly. "And 'games'?"

"It's a reference to a song…it's kinda complicated to explain."

"Alright then." Loki turned back to Tony. "I promise to behave, Stark. Thank you for the invitation."

"Uh…you're welcome then." Tony stuttered.

_He really does have terrible inter-personal social skills._ Bruce thought wryly. _But we love him anyway._

Christy inched over to where Bruce and Loki were working. "What are you guys doing?"

Bruce sighed. "Well, we're trying to convert magic into something tangible, like a pill or even a liquid, for shots."

"Ugh, shots…" Christy shuddered.

"Shots or chemo, which would you prefer?" Bruce asked, not unkindly.

"Shots, please." Christy whispered, her smile drooping into a frown.

To Tony's surprise, though not Bruce's, Loki gently placed his hand on Christy's shoulder. "We're making progress; or so Dr. Banner informs me, for I know little of practical medicine. We should have something soon."

Christy smiled, though her eyes were still a bit sad.

For the first time since this whole mess had begun, Tony conceded that maybe, _possibly_ , it might not be a completely horrible thing that Loki was on Earth.

Maybe.

* * *

It was Friday night and everything was set up on the Common Floor.

Pepper had come; officially, because she liked _Lord of the Rings_ , but also to help calm any arguments that might arise.

Between Thor to watch Loki, Steve to watch Natasha and Clint, Pepper and Bruce to watch Tony, and Christy to shame them all into acting civil, the evening promised to be…fairly calm, if not exactly ideal.

Tony had ordered ten pizzas, all stacked up on the counter. Everyone settled down in the entertainment area, trying to sit somewhere that wouldn't end in an argument with the person next to them.

"Jarvis, start playing _The Fellowship of the Ring_ , extended edition, please."

As the beginning prologue started to play, Thor 'whispered' to Loki, "I do not understand this, brother…"

"Thor, hush, they explain everything in this part!"

"Would you two shut up, we're trying to watch!" Natasha hissed. "And why is he even here, again?"

This was starting to go suspiciously like it had the first time all the Avengers plus Loki were in a relaxed setting. Christy tugged at Steve's sleeve nervously.

The super soldier sighed. "Jarvis, pause the movie for a moment, please." When the AI did so, he leaned over to the threesome and said in his best 'team leader' voice.

"No more arguments. Thor, watch the movie, they should explain things. And if you make my child throw up again with your arguments, I swear by my spangled suit, _I will end you_!"

Nobody said anything for a moment. Steve very rarely got angry. Then, Tony sniggered.

"Did you really just say…?"

"Yes, Stark, I did."

"When did Christy throw up?" Pepper asked.

"The first night Loki was here, I tried to have a team dinner. Not one of my better ideas. All the arguing made her nervous and that made her sick."

Pepper sighed. "You people are ridiculous."

"Can we watch the movie _now_?" Clint asked, annoyed. Bruce nodded

"Jarvis, start it again." Tony said.

There were no more arguments that night.

* * *

They got through _Fellowship of the Ring_ without too much incident. Everyone finally understood why Tony called Clint Legolas.

Clint himself spent half the movie analyzing Legolas' shots and explaining why most of them had to be CGI because they were impossible to make.

Everyone agreed that Saruman was a jerk. Although Tony couldn't stop giggling at the fight between him and Gandalf, even after Pepper slapped his arm. ("Old man fight! Look at them, Pep!").

When Aragorn was introduced, Christy whispered to Steve, "Is he a good guy, Daddy?"

"Oh, yeah." Steve whispered back. "He's a _very_ good guy."

Aragorn quickly became Christy's favorite. She also rather liked Arwen.

When Boromir betrayed the fellowship, it was too much for Tony.

"He's a jerk! They trusted him, and he just…ugh!"

Pepper had to snuggle up against him to calm him down.

Needless to say, everyone was affected by the movie, in many cases, a great deal more than they let on.

* * *

The next night rolled on much the same as the first. Clint joked that they were all going to get out of shape eating so much pizza.

Loki was getting thoroughly annoyed with Gollum. And he was also not happy at the looks everyone kept shooting him once Grima Wormtongue showed up.

_Whatever my behavior in the past, at_ _**least** _ _my hygiene was never lacking!_

The looks only got worse once it was shown that Wormtongue was controlling the king's mind. Clint's face also gained a pinched look that didn't let up until Gandalf released Théoden from the spell.

They all cheered at that part, even Loki.

He found that the idea of taking over another's mind had lost its appeal, somewhere after his talk with Bruce.

Everybody laughed over Merry and Pippin's antics with the Ents. And cheered again when the fortress of Isengard was destroyed by them.

"Moral of the story, be nice to the trees, kiddies, or they'll come and attack you." Tony muttered.

Both Thor and Loki looked decidedly uncomfortable at the flashback to Boromir and Faramir, before Boromir left on the quest. Denethor's overt favoritism struck them both in a sore place.

When Faramir let Frodo and Sam go, Loki looked thoughtful.

_He chooses to do good above pleasing his father…_

Steve definitely got misty-eyed at Sam's speech to Frodo. He was trying, hard, _not_ to make parallels in his mind between him and Bucky and Frodo and Sam.

He just couldn't go there. Not tonight.

* * *

Sunday, they started early, mindful that one resident of the Tower had school the next morning, and that the third movie was _long_.

When Arwen began to leave for Valinor, both Steve and Thor lost it.

"No! Do not leave, fair maiden! It is better to be with the one you love, even if they are mortal!" Thor cried.

"Please, he'll be heartbroken if you go." Steve muttered, brushing away tears.

Tony held Pepper a little closer.

Steve and Thor both cheered when Arwen chose to stay.

Christy had been fairly quiet up till now, although she occasionally carried on running commentary with Clint (who was the worst at running commentary). But at Denethor's scenes, she lost it.

"Why is he eating in front of Pippin and not giving him anything?! That's bad manners! And he's a hobbit! Hobbits are always hungry, so that's _really_ bad manners! And why does he hate Faramir? He needs to die! He's a jerk!"

When Denethor jumped off the roof of the palace, everyone cheered. And Loki felt just a twinge of grim satisfaction

All the girls (and even the boys) lost it when Eowyn said the "I am no man" line and killed the Witch-King. Christy even got up and did her own reenactment of the scene, until Steve made her sit back down.

When all the hobbits reached the Shire, and Frodo spoke about "picking up the threads of an old life" Steve could feel the tears creep back into his eyes.

Like Frodo, Steve had come to realize that there was no regaining what he had lost. Apparently _unlike_ Frodo, he had come to terms with it.

Loki was _not_ crying when Frodo left for Valinor, he was _not_ , though Thor was loudly boo-hooing beside him and even stoic Romanoff appeared to be shedding a tear.

Christy, however, completely lost control.

"No! No, no, noooooo!" she yelled, clutching at Steve's chest. "Don't leave me!"

At this, Steve immediately grabbed Christy and took her off the couch.

"Hey, hey; what's all this?" he said, as he stood to the side and rocked her gently. Everyone else was discretely ignoring the scene—except for Loki.

"You-you're like Frodo!" Christy sobbed. "You're hurt and he couldn't take it and he _left them_! He left them all alone!"

Steve sighed.

"Baby, I'm not leaving you. You know what Frodo didn't have?"

"Wh-what?" Christy asked, still half-crying.

Steve tapped her nose. "You. And I will never leave you. You're my child. How could I leave?"

Christy slowly calmed down, enough to watch the ending scene of Sam going back to his family. But Steve took her up to bed shortly after that.

"Well, brother, did you enjoy this saga?" Thor asked, as Loki sat in one of the chairs, mulling things over.

"Yes…I rather did. These…movies differed from the stories in some respects, but not painfully so."

"So which are better?" Bruce asked. "Tony says movies, I say books. So does Pepper."

"The movies leave out all the boring stuff!" Tony cried.

"Tony, the 'boring stuff' is what makes it possible to understand the story!" Pepper cried.

Clint shrugged. "I'm in the middle. But I think I prefer visual to print, anyway."

Natasha nodded. "Me, too. Though, the books have their charm."

* * *

Later that night, after Steve had gotten Christy to bed, there came a knock on the door.

"Come in!" he called, slightly puzzled as to who was coming up this late.

He was even more puzzled when he opened the door.

"Loki?"

The trickster stood, twisting his hands together. "I apologize for disturbing you, but I…I had a question that I could not get out of my mind.

Steve nodded. "Come on in. Just be quiet, though, Christy's asleep. I'm hoping she stays that way."

As they both sat down, Loki's nervousness only seemed to grow.

"I…I saw you, and Christy, tonight. When you spoke to her, you called her your child."

"Well…that's what she is."

"But not by blood." Loki sighed. "I have watched you both, these weeks I've been in the Tower. And I could not help but wonder…?"

He looked straight into Steve's face, his eyes anguished. "What drives a man to take a child not his own and raise him as such? I always thought…that Odin took me as a war trophy, nothing more. But could it possibly be true…?" he trailed off, unsure of where he exactly was going with this.

"I adopted Christy because she was alone. And so was I." Steve said. "She told me once that she wished that her life was just a game of hide-n-seek—you play that on Asgard?"

"Yes."

"Anyway, she said that she dreamed that her life was just like one big game of hide-n-seek and that her mom would just pop out, say 'found you!' and whisk her away. Basically, that was how I felt, too. We were both alone and lonely. So I figured that together…we wouldn't be."

Loki sighed. "I was found by Odin, abandoned in the wake of his war on the Frost Giants. I was weak and small, for a giant. I assume I was left to die. But he took me. He said that he once hoped to unite Jotenheim and Asgard, but that he abandoned those dreams…" Loki ducked his head.

"Did he love me? Or did he merely see me as a means to an end?"

Steve looked troubled. "Well…did you ever ask him?"

"There…hasn't been time."

"Then maybe you should ask him what he was thinking. Maybe it wasn't as selfish as you think. I mean, most people's reaction to finding an abandoned baby would be to take it."

"And…if it was as selfish as I fear?"

Steve looked Loki in the eye. "Then have grace for him. All people make mistakes. All people at times have less than pure motives."

Loki nodded numbly. "But…what if it is less selfish than I feared? What if…what if he truly loved me?"

"He might have loved you, and just been bad at showing it." Steve offered. "Like I said, all people make mistakes."

"Perhaps…" For the first time in…ever, Loki realized how little he and Odin had really spoken on the subject of his 'adoption', how little he really knew for certain. Much of his ill-will toward Odin came due to his own speculations.

"Besides, whatever your relationship may be with your father, I know that Thor loves you." Steve said firmly.

Loki sighed. "That is true."

And perhaps it was time he really appreciated his brother's love.

He stood up. "Thank you…you have been most helpful."

Steve smiled. "I'm glad. Did you like the movies?"

Loki smiled back. "Yes, I…I rather did."

* * *

As Thor lay in his bed that night, almost on the verge of slumber, his battle reflexes suddenly kicked in.

He sat up. "Who goes there?"

There was an exasperated sigh. "Peace, brother, it is only me!"

"Loki?" Thor frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No…no, there isn't. Actually…I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

Loki sat down on the bed. "For not giving up on me, for loving me…even when I deserved none of that."

"But of course!" Thor pulled Loki into an embrace. "'Tis what brothers are for!"

Suddenly, he remembered something.

"Brother," he said seriously, "did father ever speak to you…in the manner Denethor did to Faramir; in the movie?"

Loki shook his head. "Never so harshly. But I did at times feel…" he trailed off.

Thor sighed. "And I was not so kind as Boromir. I fear I ever rubbed my victories in your face."

"And yet…you always took me with you."

"That is where you belong. With me." Thor said simply. "Brother…would you care to sleep here tonight?"

At first, Loki wanted to protest. He and Thor had not shared a bed since they were children. But tonight…

Tonight, he craved more than ever the closeness of the one person who had ever been his advocate.

"Yes…I shall."

And that night, for the first time in many moons, the sons of Odin slept side by side, their hearts beating in tandem.

And the ice in Loki's heart melted ever more. It would take merely a few more things to set it free.

The next would come a few days later.


	9. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, it comes. This is probably one of the most important chapters of the story. And, naturally, I'm writing it while half-exhausted. I hope you enjoy reading it, because I truly enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Loki kind of seems a bit...off, in this chapter, for a moment. But he's also dealing with a huge lie that he's believed being proven false and I know from experience that those moments are not pretty.
> 
> As per my last story, Peggy Carter and Steve have re-connected (though obviously not re-kindled a romance).

Chapter Eight

When Peggy Carter had visited the Tower back in December, she had, among other things, given Steve the names of a few TV shows and movies that she remembered from various eras, for him to watch.

One of them had been an old, black-and-white TV series from the fifties: _The Adventures of Robin Hood_. It was classic and old enough to feel familiar, something to give Steve a break from so much newness.

Christy, after watching a few episodes with Steve, became hooked on watching episodes on YouTube. Her mom had read many of the Robin Hood legends to her and she adored the premise of the story.

Clint had grown rather attached to the series as well, after viewing an episode one day with Steve and Christy. He, too, had grown up reading the legends of Robin Hood and thought the show was rather well-done, for being from the fifties. (This had led to a bit of an argument between him and Steve— _"Oh, so_ _ **from the forties or fifties**_ _now means_ _ **badly done**_ _? Really, Barton?"_ ).

Needless to say, it had now become a show that he and Christy watched together, as much as her and Steve.

Thus, one Saturday morning in early March, the two of them sat on the Common Floor couch, ensconced in the days of Merrie Old England. This was how Loki found them when he stepped off of the elevator.

Naturally, Clint froze a bit and tried to give Loki the proverbial cold shoulder.

Christy, being Christy, was having none of that.

"You can watch with us, Uncle Loki, if Uncle Clint is okay with it."

And _how_ exactly was he supposed to say no to those big blue eyes? Besides, he _had_ called a truce.

He shrugged. "S'alright, I guess." Seriously, it wasn't like Loki could _do_ anything, what with his magic bound and all.

If only his emotions could accept what his brain already knew.

Loki looked floored. He edged closer to the couch and peered at the television screen. "And…what exactly is this about?"

"Robin Hood!" Christy said, her face split in her signature grin: mile-long. "It takes place in England a really long time ago and it's about a good guy, Robin Hood, who gets made an outlaw because bad people are in charge, so he hides out in the forest with a bunch of men and they help people in trouble. It's awesome! 'Cause he fights bad guys."

"'Fights bad guys…'" Loki repeated musingly. "I'm sensing a pattern here…"

"I think you would like Robin Hood, Uncle Loki. He causes a bunch of trouble, but he does it right."

Loki smirked indulgently. "There's a right way to cause trouble?"

"There're right _reasons_ to cause trouble." Clint said softly. "And right ways to do it." He jutted his chin out towards the TV, almost defiantly. "Watch."

So Loki did. And, almost against his will, he found himself being drawn into this strange mortal story.

Piecing together what he could from Christy's hasty explanation (and his own fast research on his _Stark Pad_ ), Loki was able to follow the plot easily enough.

There was a man sentenced to hang for not having enough to pay taxes to the king. That, at least, was a scenario Loki could understand (although, thankfully, not relate to. Odin could be stern, but he was not unreasonable.)

Robin Hood, clever man that he was, connived his way into town disguised as a butcher, incited a riot, got arrested and managed to convince the Sheriff of Nottingham that he had a 'large herd of horned beasts at his disposal' and that the Sheriff should ride out with him to see them.

Christy began snickering at this. "The Sheriff thinks he's gonna cheat Robin Hood, but Robin's gonna get him!"

The episode ended with Robin Hood and his gang holding the Sheriff for ransom, and then exchanging prisoners—the Sheriff for the man sentenced to hang.

As the closing credits rolled and the annoyingly catchy theme music played, Christy asked, "So Uncle Loki, did you like it?"

Loki nodded, slowly. "Yes…I rather did. Just…one thing."

"What, that the power-hungry jerk didn't win?" Clint muttered sarcastically. "Well, hate to break it to you, but bad guys don't win. At least in old TV shows they don't."

Loki sighed. "No, no, not that! I didn't expect him to 'win,' as you so put it; that man was an idiot. He should have taken a guard into that forest. It's only…" He ducked his head at said, almost inaudibly:

"There was no respect."

Clint frowned. "What, for the Sheriff? And why should they? He's a jerk, even in the original legends! He's always ordering someone hanged for no good reason or cheating someone out of money, or…"

"There are legends?"

"Yeah! They're based on a real person, or maybe not, but I like to think they are. Most of the stories are set in England around the 12th century or so." Clint seemed to have forgotten that he was speaking to Loki for a moment.

Christy was staring. "Wow, Uncle Clint. You know a lot."

Clint shrugged. "I read the book as a kid, liked the story line. It was one of the few books I ever read for pleasure back then. I looked up things in my spare time."

"But…he was in charge. He had the power." Loki said insistently. "Respect comes with power."

Clint stared at Loki, hard. Christy just shook her head.

"Uh-uh. That's not true."

Loki looked as though someone had punched him in the gut. "What…what do you mean? Of course it does! Everyone always respected my father, respected Thor, but not me, never me! What else could it be but position?! What else could it be but power?!"

"I dunno, maybe _behavior_?" Clint said.

"Or maybe they were jerks who didn't respect anybody different." Christy added.

Loki was still looking like a frozen deer. Clint frowned.

"Look, should I call Thor or are you going to be alright…yeah, never mind. Jarvis? Can you tell Thor to get his muscled backside down here before his brother loses it?"

"I shall refrain from saying it in _precisely_ that manner, but I will deliver your message, Agent Barton."

Clint rolled his eyes. "Tony made you too darn snarky, you know that?"

"I believe Mr. Stark has mentioned that, sir. Several times."

"Right…" Clint gazed over at Loki, who was sitting on the couch shaking his head and muttering under his breath.

"Christy, maybe you should…" The girl shook her head.

"Dad's rule is fists. If a fight starts, I get out. Otherwise, I can stay."

Clint sighed in half-exasperation, half-amusement.

_There's a_ _**rule** _ _. Of course there's a rule._

"Fine, but get over here."

Christy complied and stood beside Clint. The man sighed.

_How in the world am_ _**I** _ _the one stuck dealing with this…?_

As much as Clint was loathe to admit it, the man sitting before him looked nothing like the power-hungry madman that had screwed with his brain. He looked like a lost child who'd just been told Santa wasn't real.

Clint slowed down his speech rate and tried to adopt a slightly gentler tone.

"Look, Loki, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're gonna have to use your words. _What_ is going on?"

"Power leads to respect. That's how it works." Loki whispered, sounding like a toddler stubbornly convinced of an answer.

"Uh, hate to break it to you, but no, it's not. Plenty of people have power; probably less than half of them deserve respect. That's something you earn."

"How?!" Loki threw up his hands. "How do you do you that? Because I have _tried_. All these long centuries I have tried, and…"

"Oh spare me the sob story! You get respect by giving it! Obviously."

_Where_ _**is** _ _Thor?!_

Loki just sat still, shaking his head and muttering, "No…no…"

Christy tugged on Clint's sleeve. "Is he gonna be okay, Uncle Clint?"

Clint groaned. "I have no…"

"Brother!" Thor cried, as he stepped of the elevator. "What has happened?"

"Right on cue. Thank God." Clint muttered. "Thor, please explain to your brother that respect does not automatically come from power? As in, just because you're in charge doesn't mean that you gain everyone's respect."

Thor looked puzzled, but complied as he sat down beside Loki. "He speaks truly, brother. Respect is earned, a lesson I had to learn when I was banished. If you treat others well, they will treat you well in return. Usually."

Loki stared at Thor, his eyes wide and panicky. "Then…then I was wrong?"

Thor frowned. "Well, if you believed the opposite of what I just said, then yes, you were wrong, but it is not too late to change your thinking…" Loki shook his head.

"No…no…I did everything…no, it can't be…no, no…"

Thor shook Loki's arm lightly. "Brother, you make no sense. Have your wits deserted you? Speak!"

Suddenly, Loki stood up and let out a howl of pure anguish. Thor's eyes went wide in shock as he grabbed onto his brother.

Clint was torn between running and staying, but somehow, he knew that the team needed an unbiased witness for what was about to go down.

Clearly, Loki was experiencing some sort of breakdown. And, call him a voyeur, but Clint wanted to hang around for this.

But Christy…

"Christy, you need to go." he whispered.

Christy, eyes wide as saucers, still shook her head. "Staying." She looked at Clint and then reached her hands up. "Up."

Clint sighed and picked the girl up, praying that Steve wouldn't kill him later for letting her stay.

"Alright. Try not to cry."

Meanwhile, Loki stopped caterwauling and sat back down, head bowed. Thor had a death grip on his shoulders.

"Brother, what is wrong with you?" Thor asked softly.

Loki slowly lifted his head. And, to everyone's surprise, there were _tear tracks_ down his face.

"Everyone always respected Father." Loki said slowly. Thor noted with approval that he had slipped back into calling Odin 'father.' "And he was king. Is king. And you were the heir, the golden child. And I thought…if I could only _be_ someone, become someone…then I would gain that respect. People listened to you. They never listened to me. Force and trickery were the only ways…"

Thor's face had morphed into quiet horror. Clint looked stunned.

"You copied the problem wrong." Christy said.

Loki spun around to face her. "Wh-what?"

"In school, when we do math, and we copy a problem from the board, sometimes I don't copy right. I do all the work right, but I do the wrong problem because I write it wrong. You did all your work right, but you copied your problem wrong."

Loki laughed, shakily. "I…suppose I rather did. I copied _everything_ wrong. And now, I fear it's too late."

"Bull." Clint said harshly, bowdlerizing for Christy' sake. "You know it's not. Quit whining. Okay, so you believed a lie and did terrible things because of it. Join the club. No, seriously, there's a club, we meet on Wednesdays. But now's the time to shape your life up."

Nodding numbly, Loki looked at Clint. "I have never apologized…"

"Honestly, I wouldn't have taken an apology from you before now." Clint said. "But now…I think I might actually believe one."

"Then hear me now. I apologize…for everything." And at that, the one-time god of mischief slid to his knees on the floor.

Even Thor looked shocked. Christy's mouth slid open. And Clint…

Clint had nothing left to say.

_Maybe this whole 'exile the crazy child to Midgard to learn his lesson' thing actually has some weight to it…_

"I…used you in the worst of ways, forced you to kill and wound those you considered comrades, invaded your mind…I honestly don't know why you're not killing me now."

Clint snorted. "And what good would that do? I'd just have one more life on my conscience. Plus, I kinda make it a habit not to kill in front of kids." He gestured to Christy.

"You could make her leave."

"Like that would happen." Clint ruffled Christy's hair. "You're just a sucker for conflict, ain't ya, kid?"

Christy shrugged. "I like conflict resolution."

All three adults just _stared_.

"What? I learned it from Uncle Bruce."

Clint groaned. "Okay, _that_ makes sense. But you were saying?" he added, addressing Loki.

"Yes, well…I don't believe there's really much left to say. I was…wrong."

Thor could not stop the cry of surprise that passed his lips. For he _knew_ , he of all people knew how hard it was for those words to pass his brother's lips.

Loki was _never_ wrong. Throughout his entire life, his knowledge and intellect had been his brother's bastions of security. Loki was someone because he was smart…

And suddenly, the hammer dropped (pun not intended). Thor nearly gasped, but held his peace; this time.

Clint nodded. "I…I accept. And, you can't lie, so I know you mean it."

Loki frowned. "Actually…I could have."

Pandemonium erupted for a moment.

"Loki, what do you mean; you know the spell as well as I…?"

"What do you mean, Uncle Loki?"

"What! Thor, what's he talking about?"

"Peace!" Thor cried, suddenly. "Loki, explain."

"And stand up." Clint added. Humility was all well and good but having somebody on their knees before you got a little unnerving after a while.

Loki sighed and stood up. "I do not know, I do not understand. All I know is that before I apologized…I felt the restraint come off of me. It was always there, humming under my blood…"

"Okay, that's creepy." Clint muttered. "Continue."

"Right…I could feel it. But here, just now, it was gone!"

Thor frowned. "Has it returned? Look me in the eyes and swear by our mother that you speak truly!"

Loki did. "I so swear. And it returned…after I stood up." He shook his head looking utterly bewildered.

"Well, he's got to be telling the truth, 'cause he wouldn't be able to lie with the spell anyway. And only Odin can lift it…yes?" Clint asked Thor.

Thor nodded. "Only my father could lift the spell. But I do not understand…?"

Clint looked thoughtful. "I think this calls for a team meeting."

* * *

"So wait, wait; Reindeer Games had the spell _lifted_?" Tony asked.

Everybody had gathered on the Common Floor, trying to piece together what had just occurred.

Thor nodded. "Yes, but only for a moment. It is back in place as of now."

"What did it feel like?" Bruce asked, curious.

Loki shrugged. "Like…something wet, dripping off of me. And when it returned, it felt like ice, the same as when it was put on me."

Steve frowned. "And this happened…right before you apologized to Clint."

"Aye."

"And you did it anyway."

"I…I had to."

Steve nodded. "Sounds like a test to me."

Thor gaped. "How stupid of me! Of course, a test! Father said that he would be looking in; monitoring what was happening with Loki…"

"He did?" Loki asked.

"Well…to me, not to you."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Lovely. My own adoptive father spying on me."

"But, see, it must have been a test of character!"

Natasha shrugged. "Makes sense, I suppose. _If_ it's true." She folded her arms skeptically.

"Tasha, look at me…" Clint urged. "See, no blue eyes; just good old hazel. This actually happened. We've got three un-tampered with witnesses; plus Jarvis' feed."

Natasha managed a smirk. "As if Christy would let anyone get close enough to mess with her brain."

"Nope!" Christy said, firmly ensconced in Steve's arms. Steve grinned and hugged her close.

"Not my girl. There would have been a bloodcurdling scream…"

"Okay, so Loki has an epiphany, gets the spell lifted for a minute to test if all these lessons he's learned have stuck. Apparently, they have." Bruce summed up. "So what happens now?"

Thor shook his head. "I know not. My Father will summon us when he feels Loki is ready. Until then…nothing else, I suppose."

Bruce nodded. "Well, then I'm co-opting you for the lab." he said, grabbing Loki's arm. "If your time here is limited, then we need to get moving on that treatment."

Tony groaned and muttered something about 'non-authorized visitors in my lab,' but there was no real protest.

They all knew that something very big and very real had just occurred.

* * *

But there was one final thing that Thor wanted cleared up. Later that day, when they were both back on their own floor, he walked across to Loki's room and knocked.

"Come in!" he heard Loki call.

He entered. "Brother…there was one thing I wished to ask you."

Loki nodded. "Name it."

"Before…on the Common Floor, you said that you were wrong."

"And so I did. I thought you would be pleased."

"You are never wrong, though…always, you had to be correct. Was that where you found your value?"

Loki tensed.

"Even when we were children, you found out everything you could. Everyone said you were such a bright boy. You always had to be right. Or else you were wrong. _You_ were wrong."

Loki looked puzzled. "Well, the opposite of right _is_ wrong."

"Yes, but you…in lessons, if you got the wrong answer, your face would be horrified, as though it was a personal strike against your honor."

There was silence for a long while.

"Knowledge was the only thing I had." Loki finally muttered. "And without it…what was I?"

"You are my brother! You are our father's son; whether you admit it or not!" Thor looked anguished. "Loki…brother…who has been putting these lies in your head? Did they come from me? From others?"

"I…know not. They have always been there. And they grew worse after…after I fell."

Thor let out a long, low growl of frustration. And then he pulled Loki into a strong embrace.

"You are my brother. And that is all you ever need be. That is all I care about."

The ice cracked.

And Loki, for the first time in many ages, wept on his brother's shoulder.

* * *

"The test succeeded, Heimdall."

"Indeed, sire. It worked even better than I might have expected."

Odin sighed. "I fear there is more to this that I realized…when they return, I will need to have a long talk with my son…" He balled his fists.

"Curse whatever power made him forever grasp to find value in _things_! By the Norns, am I the worst father in the Nine Realms? How does my own son…?" he shook his head. "But never mind. We shall speak face to face soon."

Heimdall nodded slowly. "And when shall you send for them, my lord?"

"Soon. But not until my son has completed the cure for these strange, Midgardian diseases." He smiled.

"It is so good to see him build, instead of destroy. It gives me hope."

Heimdall said nothing, but a small smile crossed his lips.

Hope. Yes, hope was beginning to return. And all thanks to the Midgardians.

It was the Gatekeeper's private opinion that those on Asgard had much to learn from those they had often deemed inferior.

But that was a conversation for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this worked out alright. I was gonna have the "final test" in another chapter, but I suddenly realized that there would be no better moment to test Loki than during an apology. And an apology to Clint, no less.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

There is something disconcerting about listening to people discuss you in an ordinary manner. It is even more disconcerting to hear two people _arguing_ about you in an angry manner.

Loki, unfortunately, was in that position. And it was extremely awkward.

"I leave you people to your own devices, keep the monitoring at arm's length, and _this_ is what you do?!"

"Director, I realize that this must cause you distress, but…"

"Oh, we're way past distressed, Thor. We're into the realm of _worst nightmares realized_ at this point!"

"Then why did you not come at once? Loki has been here at least two months!"

"Because I can discretely watch _that_ , but I cannot ignore Stark Industries' requests for cancer affected blood and plasma! Now what the hell…?"

Loki was currently pressed against the wall of one of the Common Floor's hallways; the one that led to the sparring gym. He had left Thor in the entertainment area for the briefest of moments, but he'd returned to something that felt like a scene from his childhood.

Apparently Director Fury had finally decided to address the 'small' matter of him living in Avenger's Tower, once and for all.

"They're really getting into it." A voice said beside him.

"Yes…" he muttered faintly, before registering that the voice was not a familiar one. He spun around…and nearly collapsed from shock.

A calm, mild-looking man in a suit stood about three feet away from him.

"I…I _killed_ you!" Was the first, and probably very unwise thing that flew out of Loki's mouth.

The man (Phil Coulson, he recalled vaguely) gave a mysterious grin. "And I survived. Welcome to Level Seven. You're actually taking this a lot better than most of the Avengers."

Loki just shook his head. "So what happens now?"

Coulson shrugged and gestured at Thor and Fury, still going at it. "Wait for either the Director or your brother to run out of steam. And then quietly say something that disarms the situation. What, exactly, I don't know, but I'll think of something."

A diplomat's answer. That was something Loki could appreciate. He felt guiltier than ever for shooting the man before him.

"Very well…but I rather meant…why are you not taking your revenge?"

The man shrugged again. "Blind revenge isn't really my style. Besides, I've also been keeping close tabs on the Tower. I've heard about what's going on from Barton and Romanoff, how you were trying for redemption. And, well…I'm sort of a sucker for hopeless cases."

Loki snorted. "Hopeless, am I? You're the first to say it straight."

"People are quick to label. And quick to give up. So they label a person hopeless and toss them aside, without looking at the potential, the good still there. But all these so-called hopeless cases usually need is someone who will never give up on them." Coulson nodded in the direction of Thor.

"So really, I wouldn't label you completely hopeless."

"Nope, not hopeless." said another voice. It came from further down the hall.

Loki spun backwards again, only to find a very innocent-looking Christy.

"And what are you doing here?" he asked. "Don't you have better things to do than spy on the conversations of your elders?"

The girl shrugged. "I finished my homework." She lifted up a book that was in her hand. "I left a book down here and I thought I'd read, but this is _way_ more interesting."

Loki rolled his eyes.

"By the way, hi Uncle Phil." she added, hugging the agent. "I haven't seen you for a while."

The man smiled. "I've been…busy. With…things. Top secret things."

Christy hmphed. " _Spies_. At least superheroes can tell you what they did!"

The donnybrook between Thor and Fury appeared to be waning. Coulson poked his head around the corner, and then nodded. "Come on. And you might as well come too, Christy. But _quietly_."

As the three slipped out into the entertainment area, Fury glanced back. "Coulson, where'd you go?"

"Exploring." Was the Agent's short reply. "Picked up a stray." he added, motioning to Loki.

"And one more, I see." Fury replied. "Hey, kid."

Christy smiled. "Hi Uncle Nick."

It took everything within him for Loki _not_ to burst out laughing.

"Have you worn my tie-dye eye patch lately?"

That did it, unfortunately. Loki snorted at the image of the stern director with a colored eye patch. More fortunately, Thor laughed as well, so that covered up his noise.

Fury glared at the both of them. "And _what_ is so funny, gentlemen?"

Thor attempted (and failed) to hide the smirk on his face. "Nothing, Director. Absolutely nothing, I assure you."

"Uh- _huh_ … _right_. Okay let's get down to business. I'd like a better understanding of what the man who tried to take out this city and _conquer the world_ is doing back on said world!"

"As I told you, Director…" Thor began. Fury shook his head.

"You've told me enough, Thor. Odin's sentencing, trying to use a better punishment method, bound from harming anyone or lying by magic. But why does _he_ think he's here?"

Fury turned his skeptical eye on Loki, who swallowed. "I…am here to atone. Or, try to. That was the deal."

"And what makes you think you can _do_ anything to atone?"

All of a sudden, Christy slipped from the couch where she'd been sitting, and walked over to the ticking time bomb of adults.

She slipped her hand into Loki's, and turned her gaze onto Fury.

For a full minute, no one spoke.

Fury finally broke the silence. "Can I _help_ you?"

Christy nodded. "Please be nice."

" _He_ wasn't 'nice' when he tried to take over the world, Christy."

"But he's not the same anymore! He's…different. He doesn't hardly ever argue with Uncle Tony or Aunt Tasha anymore, and he watched Lord of the Rings with us and cried when Frodo went to Valinor, and he even apologized to Uncle Clint! He's _different_! But he won't wanna be if you keep telling him he's bad!"

All four adults in the room sat in a state of mild shock. But Loki felt it the worst.

Throughout his life, Thor and his mother had ever advocated for him. But to have a stranger, a child, an _innocent_ who had every right to accuse him…

In that moment, Loki had a flash of clarity. If he continued to act as he always had, then his fate would be isolation: the thing he had always tried to avoid. If he continued to lie, and trick and push people away, he would always be known as the liar and the trickster.

But if he decided to change his ways for good…

His thoughts were interrupted by a voice saying, "Couldn't have said it better myself."

Rogers, Banner, Stark (shock of shocks) and even Barton and Romanoff had appeared off the elevator.

Steve had spoken. He now moved forward and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

Fury rolled his eyes. "What is this; 'people popping out of corners' day?"

"Hey, we live here!" Tony replied, mostly good-naturedly but with a hint of steel underneath.

"Jarvis mentioned a disturbance taking place on the, ah, Common Floor." Bruce said. "We…thought we'd come check it out."

"Well, I was dragged out of the lab, but Bruce wanted to check it out." Tony muttered. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"I wanted an explanation." Fury said.

"Haven't you been keeping the Tower under surveillance _anyway_ , sir?" Clint asked. "You know what's going on."

"I wanted to know why cancer-affected blood and plasma was requested by Stark Industries."

"Get out of my files!" Tony cried.

"Because Loki's atoning. By inventing a cure." Bruce answered evenly. "Magic and science actually work out rather well together."

Fury gave Loki a long, questioning look. Loki sighed.

"Christy's idea and the only practical one I was given."

"Uh-huh…"

"Really, sir, if you wanted to know how things were going, you could have called a meeting instead of sneaking in like a thief." Steve added calmly. "Because nothing has really been going wrong."

Loki glanced around at the looks on all the Avengers' faces. They all carried one basic message: _back_ _off_.

Coulson looked moderately tolerant, especially after giving Barton's face a scrutinizing glance. But Fury looked two steps away from dragging him back to that glass cage…

And suddenly, that flash of clarity hit once more. This was the consequence for trickery and messing about with the lives of others. This was his future, to be forever questioned and glanced at skeptically, to never be trusted…

To be alone.

It must have shown on his face, because Thor frowned. "Brother, are you unwell?"

Loki tried to shake his head, but Thor was already dragging him in the direction of the couch.

"Oh great, again?" Clint muttered, but even he looked a tiny bit concerned.

Fury shook his head. "Fine, I'm out. I will be keeping an eye on things here." He glanced at Coulson. "You coming?"

Coulson shook his head. "Think I'll stick around for a bit."

"Bye Uncle Nick." Christy said quietly. Everyone else gave brief nods as the Director took his leave.

Loki sat on the couch, looking vaguely dazed. "He lied…" he finally muttered.

"Who lied?" Thor questioned.

"When I fell, off the…Bifrost. He said that I would have everything if I would take Midgard. Respect, power…that I would never be alone again. He lied!"

Clint frowned. This sounded suspiciously like…

"Someone brainwashed you?" he questioned.

"I…not exactly."

Suddenly, Clint remembered something. "You would always go off…with that staff, talk to someone, but no one was there…"

"Thanos…" Loki whispered.

Thor nearly jumped off the couch. "No!"

"Okay, I'm lost, who's Thanos?" Tony asked.

"A terrible creature of a man who causes nothing but trouble." Thor said firmly. "And he is not above torture to get what he wants."

"The infinity stone…he wanted it." Loki said. "The mind stone in the staff."

"And now it is vanished…" Thor said quietly.

"Alright, let me see if I've got this." Steve said. "Loki falls off the Bifrost and into the hands of this…Thanos. Probably gets roughed up quite a bit, and strikes a deal to trade Thanos the…staff in exchange for an army. That about it?"

Thor glanced at Loki. Loki nodded.

An uncomfortable silence fell across the room.

Coulson suddenly frowned. "How old are you, anyway? In human standards, I mean?"

Loki looked at Thor and shrugged.

"On average, Asgardians live about 5,000 of your years. Loki is…how old, brother? Over one thousand, at least."

"One thousand, forty-eight." Loki said.

Both Tony and Bruce looked to be doing the math in their heads. Tony caught on first. "Oh, my God. You have got to be kidding me! He's a freaking teenager!"

"Twenty, more or less, if you apply Asgardian aging to the life expectancy in developed countries." Bruce added.

"So…Thanos, whoever he is, straight up messed with a twenty year-old punk kid." Clint summed up.

Even Natasha looked a little disturbed at that.

Christy just leaned over and gave Loki a hug.

Steve suddenly looked like he'd just made the biggest mistake of his life. "Uh, baby…maybe you should leave."

"Do I have to, Dad?"

"Well, if we start talking about torture and other bad things…"

"No." Loki said firmly. "No more. Please…"

To everyone's surprise, Clint was the first to nod. "Yeah, no more of that."

"Team Dinner, round two?" Christy asked, giving the biggest puppy-dog eyes possible.

Everyone looked around.

Tony threw up his hands. "Aw, sure, why the heck not! Just promise not to throw up this time, kid."

* * *

Maybe it was Christy's puppy eyes. Maybe it was that Coulson stuck around. Or maybe it was that everyone was still digesting the fact that Loki was basically twenty years old.

Whatever the reason, team dinner went a lot smoother than the last time. They ordered Chinese and enjoyed Thor and Loki's reactions when the mountain of little white cartons showed up.

Christy was pretty quiet through most of the meal, and everyone kept shooting glances at her and each other, not wanting this to end up like last time.

"You okay, kid?" Clint finally asked.

Christy nodded. "There's…there's some really bad people in the world. And Uncle Loki's twenty."

Loki rolled his eyes as everyone smirked or laughed. "I fail to understand the gravity of my being young."

"Look, you're not even allowed to legally drink beer in America, Reindeer Games." Tony said.

Thor looked shocked. "Truly?"

Steve nodded. "Legal drinking age is twenty-one."

Clint and Natasha appeared to be sharing a private joke…and barely keeping it together.

Coulson grinned bemusedly at the agents. "What's so funny?"

"Loki…arrested for underage drinking…" Clint sputtered.

Everyone not from Asgard laughed, except for Christy, who just looked confused.

Thor and Loki still looked befuddled, but resigned. They were used to references and jokes flying over their heads at this point.

As everyone finished eating and began to make their way off of the Common Floor, Loki was beyond shocked to see Natasha stand in front of him.

"We need to talk."

Loki nodded and swallowed. "Somewhere…else?"

Natasha gestured to the corner. "I'm not planning to kill you, if that's what you're thinking."

Loki walked over, away from everyone else still on the floor.

"So, if you're not going to kill me, then…"

"Apology accepted."

That was _not_ what Loki had been expecting.

"Excuse me?"

Natasha shrugged. "You apologized, that first night you were here. I'm…finally able to accept it."

Loki felt as though someone had punched him in the chest, _hard_. "But…why?"

"Takes a lot of energy to hate someone. And…you finally convinced me that you were serious. Clint told me what happened."

"I've been…a terrible person." He didn't know why he was saying these things, didn't know what was happening, but he had to say something. "I don't want to be that person, if living like this is my fate."

Natasha frowned. "Well…it's possible to change. Trust me, it's possible." She stepped away. "So…good talk."

As she walked away, Loki realized that that was the most Natasha Romanoff had said directly to him since he'd arrived on Midgard.

"Good talk," indeed.

* * *

Bruce dragged Loki up to the lab that night, to test his magic on the newly-arrived cancer-affected blood and plasma. It required a lot of intense concentration on Loki's part, but he was able to find a spell that counteracted the disease's effects.

"It reverses the mutations of the cancer cells." Bruce explained, an awestruck look on his face. "This is insane!"

Even Tony, who was working on something else nearby, was impressed.

As they took a break, Loki asked, "Are there many humans affected by this disease?"

Bruce nodded. "Oh, yeah. Thousands. This will be…" he shook his head.

"But…they will not know it is me."

Bruce frowned. "Well, you could use a pseudonym...actually, you _will_ have to."

"But what happens when the cure runs out?"

"Could you find a way to make the spell…reproduce itself?"

Loki looked thoughtful. "Possibly…"

"Then let's try for that." Bruce clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

And Loki smiled as he finally realized what his mother had been trying to tell him, before he left.

_"_ _My son, if you can learn the value of your strengths and the proper way to exercise your talents, you shall succeed."_

He was at last succeeding. And succeeding...felt good.

His future suddenly didn't seem quite so hopeless as before.

_Cancer has a cure. I can be a good person. As Christy would say... **why not**?_

* * *

"Past…Present…Future." Heimdall intoned quietly. "Loki has explored each area of his life and has come to the decision that he will change."

Odin nodded. "Yes, he has. It is time."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

It was a Saturday morning in Avengers Tower, and nothing strange was happening.

"You know, something really should go wrong right about now." Tony said, sprawled out on the couch. Saturday mornings had become the de-facto "everybody who's not on a mission or working on something top secret come eat breakfast" mornings.

"The only thing I see going wrong is that you're not helping, Stark." Steve shot back.

"Uh, I thought I was banned from the kitchen…apparently I cause things to explode in flames."

"No, that's Thor." Natasha said, deadpan. "You're just hopelessly inept when it comes to cooking."

Christy was peering into the fridge and frowning. "Uncle Bruce, how many eggs do we need, again?"

Bruce looked up from where he and Steve were frying large quantities of bacon. "Ah…at least a carton, I think. Maybe two. Actually, probably two. And we can make more if we need them."

"That's a lotta eggs…"

"Blame your dad. And Thor."

Steve rolled his eyes. "Bring the eggs over on the other counter, sweetheart. You can start cracking them in the bowl."

Christy nodded, and then shook her head. A smirk that looked to be borrowed from Tony appeared on her face.

"Uncle Tony, Uncle Thor, c'mere! I'm gonna show you how to crack eggs."

Loki, who'd been fairly silent up till now, suddenly looked alarmed. "Are you sure…?"

Christy shrugged. "They gotta learn sometime! And cracking eggs is easy!"

Thor approached the counter like a skittish kitten. Tony looked mildly bored, but there was a tinge of worry behind his eyes.

Taking an egg out of the carton, Christy faced her uncles. "Now, first thing you do is hold the egg, like this." She demonstrated, holding the egg toward one end. "Then, you tap it on the edge of the bowl. _Not too hard_ , otherwise it gets eggshell in the bowl, and the eggs taste crunchy. And that's gross."

Steve smirked. This 'lesson' was sounding familiar to the one he'd given Christy not too long ago.

Tony grabbed an egg and proceeded to crack it on the side of the bowl. "Now what?"

"Now, you pull the egg apart, let it come out of the shell, and then throw the shell in the sink."

The billionaire completed the task easily. It wasn't so much that he _couldn't_ do things in the kitchen as that he'd never had the need or opportunity to do them.

Thor was still frowning at the carton of eggs. "Like this, then?" he questioned, picking up an egg and holding it in a death grip.

The egg promptly cracked.

Everyone stared for a moment…and then burst into laughter.

Thor laughed too, but he still looked extremely embarrassed.

Loki got up from where he was sitting at the bar. "No, no, brother. Like _this_." He took another egg out of the carton. "Hold it _gently_ , not like you're gripping Mjolnir!"

"I _tried_ that!" Thor protested, a trifle sulky.

"Obviously not hard enough. Now, hold the egg like you would hold a child's hand." Loki said, gesturing at Christy.

Thor slowly grabbed an egg from the carton and held it gingerly from his fingertips.

"Hold it from the end and tap it against the side of the bowl."

"How did you become an expert?" Thor grumbled.

"Watching and listening. Now hush and crack the egg. _In_ the bowl!"

Thor very lightly tapped the egg against the bowl's side. It barely dented.

"A bit harder…"

It took three more taps, but the egg finally cracked. Thor beamed, and then looked up to see everyone staring at him.

"Well? What are you all staring at?" he asked, huffing slightly.

"Who wants to make waffle batter?" Bruce asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Ooh, me!" Clint said, grabbing a bowl out of the cabinet.

"You are such a child." Natasha joked, flicking him with a towel.

Clint easily dodged the swinging fabric. "Who's the child, now?"

"Not me, _obviously_." Christy said under her breath.

Thor snorted. "I think she is taking after her uncle."

"Which _one_?" Loki asked.

Conceding to that point, Thor nodded. "All of them. And after Natasha."

"We've created a monster." Tony joked in a fake-horrified tone.

Christy just shrugged and tapped Clint on the shoulder. "Can the waffles have chocolate chips?"

* * *

They finished cooking breakfast and the meal quickly dissolved into the typical bantering free-for-all that categorized most of the team meals.

It had been almost a month since Loki's last 'epiphany'. He and Bruce had been working nearly non-stop in the lab and had finally managed to create a self-replicating liquid that counteracted the effects of not only cancer, but also most forms of AIDS.

Around the Tower, things were less tense. Everybody had acknowledged that Loki had become a completely different person, so there was little-to-no sniping about what had occurred in the past.

Life was good.

Everybody (even Tony) helped clean up after eating. It was the rule.

Steve had just loaded the last plate in the dishwasher, when suddenly, there came a loud _crack_ , as though the ceiling had split in two.

And then, the last person any of them had expected was standing in the middle of the Common Floor.

Everyone was more-or-less used to Fury's imposing demeanor. But the man who stood before them almost put the Director to shame. And it wasn't just the fact that _his_ eye patch was made of gold.

"Father!" Thor cried.

Thor was the only one who seemed at least moderately happy. Everyone else had gone into a defensive position.

Steve took one look at Christy's wide eyes and snatched her up into his arms.

Loki just stood, eyes almost as giant as Christy's. Bruce moved behind him and placed his hand lightly on Loki's arm.

"Okay, does he just pop in like you do, or am I gonna have to pay for damages on my Tower, _again_?" Tony asked Thor.

"I have left your Tower unscathed, Tony Stark, never fear." Odin replied, giving Thor a smile and firm grip on the shoulder.

"And you know my name because…"

"Tony, just shut up." Steve muttered, still trying to soothe Christy. She wasn't crying—but she wasn't making a sound either, and that was troubling.

"I know your name, because I have been observing this Tower all these many months while my sons have been here."

Loki's eyes got even wider. Was it just him, or had Odin put specific emphasis on the 's' in 'sons'…?

"And I have come, because I wished to speak with both of them, on their territory, as it were."

"Well, it's really _our_ territory, if you don't mind…sir, your majesty…whatever you're called." Clint drawled.

Thor glowered slightly. "My father is the ruler of the Nine Realms and you will show proper respect…"

Clint smirked. "Apologies. We don't exactly have royalty around here. Closest we get is him." He jerked his finger at Tony.

Loki shot a glance at Steve, one that clearly read _please save this before we all die._

Setting Christy one the ground, Steve cleared his throat and stepped up to the proverbial plate. "Welcome to Avengers Tower, your majesty. I apologize for any…offense my team may have caused you, they're all insane."

Clint looked ready to protest, but Natasha pulled him back and gave him a glare.

Odin actually smiled. "Steven Rogers, if I am not mistaken. My son spoke a great deal about you when last he was on Asgard."

Steve looked slightly embarrassed.

"What, you didn't talk about me, Point Break? I'm shocked, shocked and hurt…"

"Shut up, Tony!" Nearly all the Avengers cried.

"Ahem…" Odin cleared his throat. "If there is a room somewhere…?"

Tony smirked. "Nope, I've got a better idea. I'm not hanging around while this little pow-wow heats up. I'm co-opting my niece for the day and taking her to Coney Island."

Steve groaned, but nodded when he saw the ecstatic look on Christy's face. "Fine. Nat, Clint, Bruce, you up for it?"

Bruce looked at Natasha. Natasha looked at Clint. Clint nodded.

"Yeah, we'll go. I can win major prizes at those shooting games, anyway."

Everybody not from Asgard began to troop off the Common Floor.

"Bye Uncle Thor, bye Uncle Loki!" Christy called. "Try not to kill each other!"

As the elevator door slammed, Odin looked at his sons, an extremely perplexed expression on his face.

"What exactly…?"

"Don't ask." Thor replied quickly. Loki nodded.

"Yes, it's all better if you don't ask."

"Very well. Who does the child belong to?"

"Steven." Thor said.

"He _adopted_ her." Loki added.

Odin sighed.

"And you jump straight to the point, Loki. Thor, if you could…leave us alone for a moment."

Thor nodded and left the room. Loki almost wished he could stay, but he knew this was a conversation that could only work between him and Odin.

Steve's words from weeks ago were playing on repeat in his head as they both sat in the entertainment area, across from each other.

 _"_ _Have grace for him. All people make mistakes. All people at times have less than pure motives."_

 _"_ _Maybe he really did love you and was just bad at showing it."_

"My son." Odin said quietly. "And there, I suppose, we must begin."

Loki took the opening to ask the question that had been burning on his mind ever since that horrible day he'd found out the truth.

"But am I really your son?"

Odin sighed. "Frigga obviously did not give birth to you, so in that respect, no, you are not biologically mine. But you are still my son. I found you, I brought you home. Your mother never questioned it, and she was longing for another child anyway, since Thor had grown into his difficult toddler stage. You were raised as a prince. From the moment I found you, you have never not been mine."

He sighed again. "Loki…I have made mistakes."

And that was all it took. The dam burst.

" ** _Why_**? You said that you never told me, because you feared that I would feel different. Did it ever occur to you that I already _did_? How I was always 'Thor's brother' and never just 'Loki'? How I was weak and pale and scrawny and Thor was strong and handsome and shining? _I only ever wanted to be his equal! I only ever wanted to be loved like him!"_

Odin sat, still as stone, while Loki raged.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

"And what can I say? That I have failed you, failed as a father? That I did not notice my own child falling into despair? That I should have hauled you back onto the Bifrost before you had the chance to loose your grip on Thor? That I am possibly the worst father in all the Nine Realms?!"

Loki felt paralyzed, his mind blank and numb.

Odin had _not_ just uttered those words, he had _not…_

Because Odin was _never_ wrong. Odin _never_ failed.

"I did not silence the words of those who called the Frost Giants monsters, nor did I assure you that you were _not_ one, when you discovered your heritage. I did not reassure you that you were and always would be my son. I did nothing. And that was the greatest crime of all—that which I did not do. And my passivity damaged you greater than any sword."

"Loki…I was wrong."

Loki couldn't breathe. His heart was pounding in his ears and he was sure that any moment it would leap out of his chest because no, no, there was no way this could be happening, it was impossible.

Because for all he had longed for this day, nursed petty thoughts of having Odin groveling before him, he'd never believed it would actually _occur_.

 _Nobody_ apologized to him. _Nobody_. Only Thor ever had, and that was only recently.

"For this and anything else I have done that facilitated your turn down the dark path you took…I apologize. Can you…can you forgive me, Loki?"

Loki was trembling now, his breathing short and harsh. Could he? Could he forgive the man who had caused him so much pain?

_Have grace for him…_

_Everyone has value…_

_Takes a lot of energy to hate someone…_

He did not want to spend the rest of his life hating. He had already wasted too much of it in that place.

And if he had already (somehow) been forgiven in spite of his crimes, how could he refuse to offer the same?

"If you had asked me that question before you sent me here, I would have said no." he replied. "But now, after all I have seen and learned…I say yes. Yes, Father, I forgive you."

Odin's face broke into a broad smile, before turning serious once more. "This does not mean that what I did was suddenly of no consequence. I shall be attempting to make up for my past actions once we return to Asgard."

Loki nodded. "I understand." Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "Will you be lifting the spell, the one that binds me from lying?"

"So eager are you to have it lifted?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you could leave it in place, for a little while more."

Odin looked beyond shocked.

"It's only…it's easier to change one's reputation if the general populace knows that one is incapable of lying."

Still in a state of disbelief, Odin nodded.

"So be it."

"And…one other thing." Loki half-whispered, feeling extremely pathetic.

"Anything."

"I…do you…you actually love me?" the words came out in one distressed rush.

In two swift strides, Odin had walked across and sat down beside Loki.

"Yes, of course I do, my son. I have always loved you, ever since you were a child."

"I…I asked you, if you didn't take me for a war trophy, why you took me. You never answered."

Odin shook his head, his gaze far away, across the sea of time. "I was exhausted. We all were, after the battle. And I found you, lying alone, abandoned…I know not. I suppose I was just so tired of death, of killing, of the acres of blood…I looked at you, kicking and crying in your blanket…and I wanted you to live. I knew no one else would take you; for the blood lust was still too high. As I said before, your mother had already spoken of her desire for another child."

He sighed. "So, there it is. Not particularly glamorous or compelling, I suppose…I simply wanted you to have a chance. You were an infant, undeserving of your present fate. I wanted you to live."

It may not have been glamorous or compelling, but to Loki, it was a balm on his wounded heart. He had not been taken as a war trophy or relic.

Someone had wanted him to live. Someone had cared enough to snatch him from an icy death.

He bowed his head. "I have…not been the best son, recently."

"And I have not been the best father. It seems we shall both have to start over." Odin smiled. "What do you say we let Thor back in, eh?"

Loki smiled, a trickster's smile, and yet innocent at the same time, like a child about to play a prank. "Indeed. But allow me to test a theory." He strode over to the door of one of the spare rooms and deftly twisted the knob on the door.

Sure enough, Thor fell forward as the door opened up. He caught himself in time, though, and turned an incredulous gaze on Loki.

For his part, Loki just smirked and said, "Tsk, tsk, brother; when will you learn not to listen at doors?"

Thor, of course, was already roaring with laughter and as they returned to the entertainment area, Loki was shocked to find their _father_ laughing as well.

As the laughter died down, Odin shook his head in wonder. "Ah, my sons. It seems exile was good for both of you. Come, tell me how it has been for you all these months. Your friends seemed…interesting."

Thor grinned. "Interesting, yes, that's one way of putting it."

"But mortals are much wiser than we were ever told." Loki added. "Kinder and more willing to extend mercy in most cases."

"Indeed?" Odin once more felt a sense of shock at the change in his youngest. Loki would never have been caught saying anything of the sort a few months earlier. "Then tell me more."

And so, Loki did, chronicling the tale of everything that had happened to him since his banishment; joys, sorrows, embarrassments, awkwardness. Thor interjected a few points, but he refrained from hijacking the conversation, as he once would have.

Nothing could be healed in a day, and it would take many to fix the rift in this family. But today, a very large step in the right direction had occurred.

Because, in the end, nothing was impossible. No one was ever truly a lost cause.

All it took was someone courageous enough to look at what had never been, and ask, "Why not?"


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

It was a week after Odin's visit that Loki and Thor returned to Asgard. Christy had practically glued herself to Loki's side the day before they left.

"Are you trying to catch me?" he asked finally, as she stood a few inches away from him in the Common Floor kitchen.

Christy nodded. "Yes. Can…can I take a video of you, in case I want to hear your voice once you leave?" Her own voice sounded choked.

If there had remained any shard of ice in Loki's heart at this point, it was gone now.

"Christy…" Loki stopped what he was doing and faced the girl. "I will come back to see you."

Christy sniffled. "Really?"

"Really and truly. And you know Thor will have to come back sooner or later, so you can give him letters for me. I will want to know what you are doing!"

Christy looked slightly less upset at this. "Can I still stay with you right now?"

Loki sighed. "Yes, of course. And I promise not to leave while you are at school."

"But what if your dad or that other guy, the gatekeeper, comes…?"

"Then I shall make them wait."

* * *

Thankfully, that didn't occur. It was actually Heimdall who arrived to escort both princes back to Asgard, one mild April Tuesday.

Everyone crowded around to say their goodbyes.

Christy ran up to Thor first, giggling as the blonde swooped her onto his shoulders.

"Farewell, little Valkyrie. I will miss you greatly. But never fear, I shall endeavor to visit."

Christy nodded solemnly. "Bye, Uncle Thor. I'll miss you, too."

As Loki finished a last-minute conversation with Bruce, he turned to face the tiny girl.

"Well…I suppose this is farewell." he said.

Christy tackled him in a hug. "I hate goodbyes!"

"Ah, little one." Loki whispered, trying to hold back the choking in his voice. "This is not goodbye. This is farewell. As in, fare well until I see you again. For I will."

Steve gave both brothers a firm shoulder-clasp. "Take care, you two. Don't do anything stupid on Asgard. Next time you show up on earth, I want you both here of your own free will!"

Thor chuckled. "Rest assured, my friend, that will most definitely be the case!"

Loki was silent, so Steve gave him a friendly glare.

"What? Oh, yes, of course! Next time I visit your... _lovely_ planet, it will be completely of my own volition."

"It better be." Clint muttered. "And tell your dad not to get any funny ideas about exiling anybody else to earth in hopes of teaching them a lesson! We're a planet, not a rehab facility!"

Loki smirked. "I will convey that request to him."

Last hugs and goodbyes said, Thor turned to Heimdall. "Heimdall, we are ready."

Heimdall nodded…and then turned to Loki. "You are ready, my prince?"

Loki's mouth nearly fell open at the last epithet he'd ever expected to be called by any citizen of Asgard. "Y-yes. I am."

"Then we shall depart."

And with a crack and flash of light, they were gone.

* * *

**_Epilogue: Two Months Later_ **

Loki was sitting in his chambers, poring over a stack of documents, when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in!" he called, already having a feeling who it was.

"Brother!" Sure enough, Thor bounded into the room like an over-excited puppy. "I have returned from Midgard!"

"And? What news do you bring?"

"Have you enough time to hear it all, or am I interrupting your work?"

Since his return to Asgard and his very public reinstatement by Odin, it had been decided that Loki needed something to do that would restore him back into the good graces of Asgardian society.

It had been Loki's idea to become the one to oversee the set-up and running of several homes for orphaned or abused children.

 _"_ _I grew up a prince, and yet I had no sense of worth."_ he'd said. _"It can only be worse for those with no family. I want no child in this realm to ever feel as I once did."_

And it was working. Seeing the once despised prince speaking out on behalf of the very least in society certainly helped to raise his reputation, as well as the very public knowledge that the anti-lying spell was still in place (and would remain so for the foreseeable future).

Loki nodded. "I have time. How fare our friends?"

Thor smirked. "Well, the Man of Iron thought it would be a brilliant idea to publicly give his telephone number to a terrorist…"

"And what, pray tell, is a terrorist?"

"So far as I can tell, a man who seeks to cause fear in others by public acts of destruction and killing."

"Lovely. I assume he's still alive…?"

"Oh yes, alive and insane as usual. And that reminds me, I have a letter for you."

"For me?"

"Well, for both of us, I suppose, but more for you, since you were not present. From Christy."

Loki frowned. "You did explain to her why I could not come? That I had much to do here?"

Thor nodded. "She understood. She seemed… _proud_ of you, for you."

Loki smiled, almost bashful. "Well…she would." He tore open the letter and began to scan the sheet of paper.

 _"_ _Dear Uncle Loki,"_ he read aloud.

_"_ _How are you? I hope you are doing well. I am fine. (That's how they teach us to write letters at school. Isn't it boring?)"_

Both brothers burst out laughing.

"Now that, _that_ is Christy!" Thor managed through guffaws.

"Aye!" Loki composed himself and continued.

_"_ _Anyway, I really am okay and I really do hope you are too. Things have been kinda crazy around here since you left. Uncle Tony gave his phone number out to a terrorist last month, and then he got kidnapped. But he's okay now._

_Dad and I were in Washington D.C. when that happened. (That's the capital of America. Dad said to say that, because you might not know). We were visiting one of his friends from a long time ago. And Uncle Clint and Aunt Tasha were on a really long mission, so they missed all of that. Uncle Bruce just kinda hung out in the Tower._

_Oh, and your cure works! Uncle Bruce has been giving it to hospitals and doctors. It really works! A lot of people have gotten better! It's so great!_

_When people ask him how he made the cure, he says he did work with a '_ _agoraphobic' guy named Dr. Tom Hiddleston. (Uncle Bruce taught me that word. It means somebody who's afraid to go outside). That way, people don't ask too many questions. And Uncle Bruce is making sure the cure goes to everybody, even those who don't have a lot of money._

_Uncle Nick (Director Fury) has been talking to Dad about Dad maybe going to DC to work for SHIELD. I'm kinda scared. I don't think Dad would take me with him. I think he would leave me in New York, in the Tower. And that's scary._

_But I'm okay. Don't worry about me."_

Loki had to roll his eyes at that. It was so very like Christy to shift focus off herself. He couldn't help but feel a knot of worry build in his stomach on her behalf.

_"_ _Uncle Thor said you're doing important stuff on Asgard and that's why you couldn't come. I'm glad you're doing something good. But I still miss you._

_Be good and don't do anything stupid. Come see me soon!_

_Love,_

_Chrystal Elizabeth Allen Rogers (Christy)_

Loki finished the letter and shook his head slowly, trying to process everything.

"It seems that quite a lot has happened in our absence, brother." he said quietly.

Thor nodded. "Yes, much has occurred, but things remain stable. Yet I cannot help but feel a strange sense of foreboding…"

Loki shrugged. "Well, all we can do is keep an eye out. If Midgard has need of you, then you go."

"Aye, I suppose that is all we can do." Thor said softly.

Loki's face morphed into a teasing grin. "And how fares your lady love?"

"She fares well, especially since I have been to see her." Thor's face now bore the incredibly loopy look it always did when he spoke about Jane.

"And when are you going to marry that woman?!"

Thor growled lightly. "When I can convince Father of the soundness of that idea! We may have convinced him of the value of mortals, but he still sees no sense in me marrying one!"

Loki tsked. "Well, we'll just have to try harder, then. In the meantime, I suppose I can listen to you gush."

Thor rolled his eyes. "And what of you? Surely some maiden has set her sights on the dark, handsome prince of Asgard."

Loki scoffed. "Not likely. Maidens in these parts prefer blondes."

"Are you truly so thick, brother? You were the talk of last month's feast. Plenty of eligible young women are seeking after you! What about that one girl…Sigyn, isn't that her name? Didn't she fancy you at some point?"

Loki actually blushed slightly. "Ah, yes, she did, but that was before…"

"And now it is after." Thor clapped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Now you have been redeemed and reinstated."

"I still have a long way to go."

"Indeed. But you should no longer view yourself in light of the past. You are forgiven."

Forgiven. It was a strange word.

Months ago, he had never expected to be this happy ever again. He had narrowly escaped life imprisonment, only to be sent on what he had deemed a fruitless quest for redemption.

He had expected failure.

What he'd found was another chance.

And as he took in Thor's smiling face, remembered all that had occurred, he found himself saying:

"You are right, brother. And perhaps I should not be so disparaging of myself. I might find a lady after all."

He laughed softly, and tossed out a phrase he'd come to love, a phrase he'd first heard from a skinny, blonde Midgardian child with the heart of a Valkyrie:

"Why not?"


End file.
